FULL SCORE
- Broncos controlled the clock, could clinch the AFC West. It wasn’t easy, but the Broncos held off the Chiefs on Christmas night, and now the Los Angeles Chargers are a tie or a loss Saturday away from winning the AFC West. The No. 1 seed may have to wait until Week 18, but Denver did just enough in the slugfest to survive. The Broncos had three drives of eight minutes or more, but it wasn’t until the third, late in the third quarter, that they finally found the end zone. Bo Nix scrambled 9 yards for the touchdown to give the Broncos the lead as his legs were key in the win. They had 14 and 16 field goal games before that, and Nix’s interception in the first quarter set up a Chiefs TD that kept Denver down well into the second half. After the Chiefs tied the score at 13 apiece, Nix led the Broncos into the red zone, where they faced a critical decision on fourth-and-2 at the Kansas City 9-yard line after the two-minute warning. The Broncos lined up and were able to draw a Chris Jones fumble, forcing Kansas City to burn two layups before Nix hit RJ Harvey for continued TD.
- Oladokun came up just short in his first start for the Chiefs. Chris Oladokun had to wait four years on the Chiefs’ practice squad for his chance to start his first NFL game, and he had a chance to lead a game-tying or game-winning drive in the final minutes, but it came up short. Oladokun was held to 43 passing yards for the drive, but he punted Travis Kelce three times for 23 yards and had a 7-yard rush to put the Chiefs in business, down, 20-13, in the waning moments. It was when a delay penalty and two incomplete passes doomed the Chiefs to their third straight loss at home. If it was Kelce’s last home game, he finished with five catches for 36 yards as the only consistent weapon in the passing game. His 11-yard catch in the first quarter drew a standing ovation, but he was only caught one more time on the final drive. The 28-year-old Oladokun played mostly error-free football and threw his first NFL TD pass to give the Chiefs a chance but couldn’t get much going until late.
- Denver has to play better. The Broncos are well positioned to win the AFC West and clinch the No. 1 seed in the AFC, but this one was a little too close for comfort. After the disappointing two-TD loss at home to the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Broncos were heavily favored against a Chiefs team down two QBs with first-time starters and missing two of its top receivers. The Broncos’ defense held the Chiefs to 139 yards, but Kansas City was a play or two away from tying or winning the game late. They had just one turnover in the game and had several painful penalties in the second half, including a 27-yard pass defense. Patrick Surtain II to give life to the princes. After two red zone mistakes, the Broncos finally converted with two touchdowns down there, but it was a tighter game than it should have been under the circumstances. There is still a potentially important game left against the Chargers, assuming Los Angeles beats the Houston Texans this weekend. The Broncos need to sharpen up with so much at stake.
Next Gen Stats Insight for Broncos-Chiefs (via NFL Pro): Travis Kelce led the Chiefs with five receptions for 36 yards on six targets against the Broncos, accounting for 54.5% of Kansas City’s receiving yards, the Chiefs’ highest percentage this season. Playing cornerback Patrick Surtain II seven times, Kelce was targeted twice and had just one reception for 11 yards.
NFL Research: With Thursday’s win, Sean Payton (five) joined Bill Belichick (seven) as the only coaches in NFL history to win 13-plus games in at least five seasons.