Chiefs beat Broncos, knocking Denver out of playoffs and keeping AFC West title chances alive
The Kansas City Chiefs couldn’t resist rubbing a little salt in the Denver Broncos’ wound. It wasn’t enough that the Chiefs were on their way to a Week 16 win that would keep the reigning Super Bowl champions out of the postseason and a chance to defend their title, wasn’t enough that they’d forced two Broncos turnovers (to that point) and pestered Denver quarterback Trevor Siemian into a bad performance behind a terrible offensive line.
No, the Chiefs wanted a little more pain for their divisional rivals. So with just under two minutes to play and Kansas City already comfortably leading, 346-pound defensive tackle Dontari Poe checked in on offense. Poe has a Refrigerator Perry-type role with the Chiefs, the biggest goal-line back the NFL has seen since the beloved Perry with the Chicago Bears.
But this time when Poe got the ball, he didn’t try to blast through the line. He dropped back and jump-passed the ball, looking like a big man in the paint, lofting it over the scrum at the goal line and into the arms of tight end Demetrius Harris. His teammates loved it, the crowd loved it, and it sealed the 33-10 win for the Chiefs.
“That was one for the ages,” Travis Kelce told NBC’s Michelle Tafoya after the game. “He might be the first 300-plus guy to throw a touchdown in the league. That was pretty fun.”
Kelce is right, according to ESPN Stats & Info. Poe is the heaviest player to throw a touchdown pass in NFL history.
The Chiefs knew before the game that they were guaranteed a playoff spot, thanks to the Pittsburgh Steelers’ win over the Baltimore Ravens in the first game on Sunday.
Getting to the playoffs is nice, but the Chiefs still have something to play for: the AFC West title, and the difference between the No. 5 seed, which they’d be as a wild card, and the No. 2 seed, which they’d be as West winners. As a wild-card team, they would have to go on the road on the opening weekend of the playoffs and likely beyond, but as the No. 2 seed, not only will they get a bye to rest a bit, they would also host their opponent in the division round.
Kansas City is currently 11-4, and the Oakland Raiders are 12-3. But the Raiders lost their MVP-caliber quarterback, Derek Carr, for the rest of the season on Saturday when he suffered a broken fibula, so will go into the season finale in Denver and beyond with Matt McGloin as quarterback. If the Raiders lose and the Chiefs win against the Chargers in San Diego, the Chiefs are division winners.
Kansas City ran out to a quick 14-0 lead on Sunday, and was up 21-7 at the end of the first quarter. The Broncos closed the gap to 21-10 by halftime, but as has become a pattern in recent weeks, they struggled to move the ball. Their touchdown was a two-play, 6-yard possession, after Justin Simmons picked off Alex Smith deep in Chiefs territory.
Meanwhile, the Chiefs did well when putting the ball in the hands of Kelce or rookie Tyreek Hill, who combined for 255 of the team’s 484 yards from scrimmage; they also did well against one of the league’s best defenses on third down, converting 9 of 17 chances.
