The Denver Broncos were riding high into Thursday night's matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs. They had just earned their first two victories of the season, they had home-field advantage and the Chiefs had lost two in a row.

What happened Thursday was nothing short of embarrassing for the Broncos, however. Denver lost 30-6 and the reigning NFL MVP, Patrick Mahomes, didn't even play a full half due to a knee injury. Denver's defense went from causing internal turmoil and forcing a quarterback change from their opponent the week prior to getting blown out by a backup quarterback on their home field the next.

The Broncos defense was stifling against the Tennessee Titans in Week 6. They gave up just 204 yards of total offense and got to the quarterback seven times in a 16-0 victory. Titans head coach Mike Vrabel was forced to bench Marcus Mariota for Ryan Tannehill, after he threw for just 63 yards and two interceptions in two and a half quarters. The beatdown was so severe that Vrabel made the decision to bench Mariota for their Week 7 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers as well. What happened with Denver's defense Thursday night was completely different, however.

No one likes to see another player go down with a potentially serious injury, especially someone of Mahomes' caliber, but the Broncos had to feel confident about their chances of coming back and registering their third straight victory. Facing a 13-6 deficit, the Broncos' next offensive drive was a sign of things to come, as quarterback Joe Flacco was sacked, fumbled and Reggie Ragland picked up the loose ball and waltzed into the end zone to extend the lead to 20-6. It was the early stages of a 20-0 run that the Chiefs would go on without Mahomes, as the Broncos were unable to stop the Chiefs' backup from scoring points.

Patrick Mahomes suffered an ugly injury, so what happens now for the Chiefs and the QB? Ryan Wilson, John Breech and Sean Wagner-McGough joined Will Brinson to break everything down. Listen in the player below, and be sure to subscribe here for daily NFL goodness.

Matt Moore's 117 yards and his one touchdown pass aren't going to stand out in the box score, but he was efficient, completing 10 of 19 passing attempts. In all, the Broncos defense allowed just 191 total yards but failed to force a single turnover. Moore got the ball into the hands of his play-makers and let them work. He even hit Tyreek Hill for a 57-yard touchdown in the third quarter.

"To come out and play like that, it sucks," Broncos defensive end Shelby Harris said, via Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic. "We got our ass thoroughly kicked today. We really did, and it was on every phase."

"You got to think with the backup quarterback coming in, you have a chance. It's all on us. It wasn't like a fluke thing. That was on us. We damn lost the game. They whooped our ass."

It has to be mentioned that the Broncos' offense did not help out in any way on Thursday night. Fox color commentator Troy Aikman repeatedly called out Flacco and the Broncos' lack of urgency in the second half. Their longest drive of the second half lasted nine plays, but gained just 20 yards. Flacco passed for 213 yards and was sacked eight times for a total of 72 yards. Denver also failed to get the ground game going, as running backs Phillip Lindsay and Royce Freeman combined for just 71 yards and a touchdown.

The point remains, however. The Broncos defense made the 35-year-old Moore look like a backup capable of leading the Chiefs to the playoffs should Mahomes miss an extended amount of time. There's work to be done on both sides of the ball when it comes to the 2-5 Broncos.