It wasn’t perfect, but Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos remain in complete control of the AFC.
Nix and the playoff-bound Broncos scored a late touchdown drive Thursday night to defeat the Kansas City Chiefs 20-13 at Arrowhead Stadium, completing the NFL’s three-game Christmas Day slate. That victory improved the Broncos’ record to 13-3 on the season, and they are currently on track to win the AFC West for the first time since the 2015 season, when they won the Super Bowl. It also helped them maintain their lead over the New England Patriots in the AFC playoffs.
The Broncos needed to get past Chris Oladokun, who was making his first NFL start after Patrick Mahomes and Gardner Minshew suffered season-ending knee injuries. The Chiefs also had nothing to play for, as they had already been eliminated from playoff contention for the first time since 2014.
Despite only completing five passes for 27 yards in the first half, Oladokun held his own. In his debut start, he made no obvious mistakes in the first two quarters and even completed a 5-yard touchdown ball to Brashard Smith early in the second. That, combined with numerous outstanding stops deep in their own territory, allowed the Chiefs to enter the locker room at halftime with a 7-6 advantage. The Broncos had to settle for only two field goals after their drives repeatedly stalled.
The Broncos regained the lead following a lengthy 14-play drive that lasted over 10 minutes in the third quarter. Nix scrambled to the end zone from 9 yards out. At that point, the Broncos had more than doubled Kansas City’s time of possession.
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That lead was short-lived, as Harrison Butker hit a 47-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter to tie the game again.
The Broncos, on the other hand, ran out practically the entire rest of the clock to end the game. They almost had to settle for a short field goal inside the two-minute warning, but they got the Chiefs to jump offsides on fourth down, giving them a new set of downs.
Bo Nix eventually found RJ Harvey in the back of the end zone to cap the 14-play drive and put the Broncos ahead for good.
Nix eventually found RJ Harvey in the back of the end zone to cap the 14-play drive and put the Broncos ahead for good. Even though Oladokun led the Chiefs deep into Denver territory with numerous throws to Travis Kelce, the Broncos made one final stop to seal the victory.
Nix completed 26 of 38 passes for 182 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He and Harvey both had 43 yards on the ground, while Courtland Sutton led Denver in the air with 40 yards on four receptions.
Oladokun completed 13-of-22 passes for 66 yards and a touchdown. Kareem Hunt gained 38 yards on seven carries, while Kelce gained 36 yards on five receptions in what could be his final home game before retirement. The Chiefs (6-10) have dropped five in a row.
The Broncos will now wait and see, but if everything goes as planned, they may clinch the AFC’s top seed later this weekend. They will win the division if the Houston Texans defeat the Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday. Otherwise, the division will be decided next weekend in Denver when the two clubs face off.
While a better offensive performance against the Chargers would most certainly be required to finish the season on a high note, the Broncos did the job Thursday night. Nothing else counts when playoff seeding is at stake.
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