KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Denver Broncos are in the enviable position of spending Christmas night at Arrowhead Stadium, the home of one of their biggest rivals, with an opportunity to close in on an AFC West title and perhaps land the No. 1 seed and first-round playoff bye.
It's a position the Kansas City Chiefs know well.
Normally, they're the ones with all those things to play for this time of year.
But things have flipped upside down this season. The Broncos (12-3) are barreling toward Thursday night's matchup knowing that a win coupled with a loss or tie by the Chargers in their game Saturday against Houston would secure them the division title.
Kansas City (6-9) is just trying to survive with a third-string quarterback and a roster that is littered with injuries.
“You just have to keep winning. Whatever it takes to win the game,” Broncos quarterback Bo Nix said. “It doesn't really at this point matter what it looks like. All the cool, flashy stuff can have already happened, but now it's just who has more points.”
The Broncos did in their first meeting with the Chiefs, a 22-19 victory in November. But they did not this past week, when Jacksonville dealt them a humbling 34-20 defeat in Denver that snapped the Broncos' 11-game winning streak.
“This game specifically — every one of these players understands the significant of where we're at with two games left in the season,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said. “I think for both teams on a short week, there are defenses and offenses maybe, plays that neither of us got to use in the first game that still may apply. So that helps.”
The Chiefs will take all the help they can get.
Patrick Mahomes tore two ligaments in his knee two weeks ago. Backup quarterback Gardner Minshew tore a ligament in his knee last week in a lopsided loss to lowly Tennessee, which means journeyman Chris Oladokun will start for the first time in his career.
The Chiefs are missing their two best offensive tackles, their top two cornerbacks and their best wide receiver to a variety of injuries.
That doesn't mean the reigning AFC champions have quit, though.
“Any time you step into Arrowhead it's fun. You feel the love, you feel the energy,” defensive tackle Chris Jones said. “We are playing for something greater than yourself. There's a lot of kids, probably, a lot of first-timers there because of a Christmas game, a lot of people who paid their hard-earned money. You owe it to them to give your all and play your best and show up for the fans.”
Denver cornerback Patrick Surtain II earned his fourth Pro Bowl honor this season, one more than his father earned during his NFL career from 1998-2008. The Broncos matched the Ravens, 49ers and Seahawks with a league-leading six selections.
“I have bragging rights now,” Surtain said with a laugh. “He can’t say too much now. I think it’s definitely great for the legacy and great for the Surtain lineage. It’s something I dreamed of, but I’ll keep perfecting my craft and keep on holding that name strong.”
While Oladokun will make his first NFL start on Thursday night, he did play the majority of last week's loss in Tennessee. It's been quite a journey for the former South Dakota State quarterback, who was cut by the Chiefs in training camp last year and spent the next eight weeks flying around the country for practice squad tryouts with various teams.
“It's hard to play in the NFL. It's hard to stick on a roster,” Oladokun said. “But it really motivated me. Really made me look in the mirror to see what I needed to get better at. I said, ‘If I get another chance, I won’t let it slip.'”
Their game against Denver will be the first since the Chiefs announced Monday that they will be leaving their aging home in Missouri for a $3 billion domed facility to be built across the state line in Kansas. They will continue to play at Arrowhead Stadium through the end of their lease in January 2031.
The Chiefs could have their hands full against Pro Bowl wide receiver Courtland Sutton, who had four catches for 59 yards against them in November. Kansas City will be without its top two cornerbacks, Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson, because of injuries.
“We'll have to find a way to limit his catches,” defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo said. “It's a tough ask.”
Travis Kelce could be playing inside Arrowhead Stadium for the final time Thursday night. He has yet to announce his retirement, but the tight end appears to be leaning that way, and a decision is expected shortly after the end of the season.
“He's been great,” coach Andy Reid said. “He's everything you want from a player representing an organization.”
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