In a sleepy, defense-focused affair on Christmas evening, the Denver Broncos (13-3) escaped Arrowhead Stadium with a win over the division rival Kansas City Chiefs, strengthening their hold on the No. 1 seed in the AFC in the process. The Broncos, as has become their custom this year, played the game close to the vest and prevailed late with a one-score victory, winning 20-13.
With the victory, the Broncos inched closer to winning the AFC West crown. A loss on Saturday by the Los Angeles Chargers to the Houston Texans will wrap up the division.
Denver controlled the ball for almost two-thirds of the game, winning the time of possession battle by nearly two to one. But the Broncos were still locked in a dead heat with the Chiefs until very late in the game because during the first three quarters they went on three separate drives that took 8-plus minutes off the clock but only converted one of those drives into a touchdown, while the Chiefs converted three different short-field opportunities into scores of their own.
Kansas City's defense bent but did not break for almost the entire evening, forcing the Broncos to matriculate the ball downfield with runs and short passes rather than giving up any explosive plays. It was only through the Broncos going 11 of 18 on their third-down opportunities that they were able to continue moving the ball, and doing so allowed them to get into the red zone on four separate occasions. The first two of those red zone trips ended in field goals, but the final two resulted in touchdowns, which ultimately proved the difference in the game.
The Chiefs' offense, meanwhile, found itself almost entirely unable to move the ball against Denver's impenetrable defense, totaling just 139 yards on 42 plays for a paltry 3.3 yards-per-play average. Third-string quarterback Chris Oladokun was hamstrung by a porous offensive line and depleted skill-position corps, and the Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt-led running game didn't fare much better than did the passing attack.
And still, the Chiefs actually led for an extended stretch of the game, taking a lead with over 12 minutes left in the second quarter and holding it until there were less than two minutes left in the third. They were staked to that lead by a touchdown pass from Oladokun to Brashard Smith, which came shortly after Bo Nix was intercepted by Nick Bolton deep in Broncos territory.
Denver's defense kept the Broncos in the game that entire time, though, before the offense put together just enough late in the game to come away with the victory. Nix ran for one touchdown and threw for another, and with the Chiefs struggling to move the ball all night, that was ultimately all that Denver needed to pull this one out.
