The Denver Broncos’ dream season continued with a win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas Night. Kansas City had already been eliminated from playoff contention and the team was playing without Patrick Mahomes, who tore his ACL in Week 15. Still, the Chiefs pushed Denver to the brink on Thursday night.
The Broncos improved to an NFL-best 13-3 with the 20-13 win. Denver can now secure the No. 1 seed in the AFC with a win in the regular season finale. And the Broncos beat the Chiefs in familiar fashion in Week 17.
Eleven of Denver’s 13 wins have come by one score (eight points or fewer). That ties the NFL single-season record for the most such victories, per Denver Sports 104.3’s Andrew Mason. The Broncos share the record with the 2022 Minnesota Vikings and, fittingly, the 2024 Chiefs.
Broncos emulate Chiefs with one-score wins
Last year the Chiefs went 15-2 with 11 victories coming by eight or fewer points. And while some pundits downplayed their record because so many close games broke their way, the Chiefs reached the Super Bowl for the third straight season in 2024.
This year, however, the script has flipped for KC. With Thursday’s loss, the Chiefs fell to just 1-8 in one-score games this season. Kansas City is 6-10 overall and will finish with a losing record for the first time in 13 years.
The Broncos, meanwhile, are headed back to the postseason. Bo Nix and company will make back-to-back playoff appearances for the first time since Peyton Manning did it in 2014 and 2015.
And the Broncos have a chance to win the division and finish as the conference’s top seed. All Denver has to do is win Week 18’s matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers.
That’s easier said than done, however. Bo Nix has never beaten the Chargers. The second-year quarterback is 0-3 against Los Angeles. Last season, LA swept the Broncos. And in Week 3 this year, the Chargers scored 10 points in the final three minutes, winning on a field goal as time expired.
Still, Nix is excited about the challenge. Assuming Los Angeles beats the Texans this Saturday, both teams will have a great deal on the line in Week 18.
