Just how important is Broncos game for Chiefs?

All eyes will be on the marquee matchup this Sunday between the Denver Broncos and the Kansas City Chiefs. The AFC West rivals have met 130 times, but few games have been as meaningful as this one. 

With a two-and-a-half-game lead over Kansas City in the division, the Broncos are in the driver’s seat with an opportunity to dash the Chiefs' hopes of claiming the division for a 10th consecutive season. Though a Broncos victory won’t officially eliminate the Chiefs from playoff contention, the outcome of this game will surely affect the AFC playoff picture and significantly impact the psyches of both teams.

Broncos could lock up the AFC West 

If the Broncos can knock off the Chiefs, that means a modest 3-3 finish would push their record to 12-5 and force the Chiefs to run the table and depend on tiebreakers to overtake them. With remaining games including the Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Chargers, Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys and Broncos again, the Chiefs will be hard-pressed to finish 7-0. So, if they want to win the division, they must top the Broncos on Sunday and tighten up the race down the stretch.

A win could lift the Broncos' confidence to a mile high

If not for a last-second blocked field goal attempt, the Broncos would have defeated the Chiefs twice last season. And even though the Chiefs rested their starters in the Broncos' 38-0 victory in the season finale, a Broncos victory on Sunday will convince them that they should have beaten the Chiefs three consecutive times and are clearly the better team. If the Broncos believe that — and they should — their confidence will make it difficult for any team to defeat them the rest of the way.

A loss may force the Chiefs into the wild-card round

As a wild-card team, the Chiefs would need to win three road playoff games to reach the Super Bowl. That’s tough, but they have proven they can win playoff games on the road. In 2023, they defeated the Buffalo Bills (27-24) and Baltimore Ravens (17-10) in road games en route to a win in Super Bowl LVIII. Wild-card teams have reached the Super Bowl 11 times; the most recent occurrence was the 2020 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. So, it’s not impossible, but it comes with long odds.

Chiefs' intimidation factor is at stake

Since 2018 (the Patrick Mahomes era), the Chiefs have dominated the AFC. And whether they’ll admit it or not, no AFC team wants to face them in the playoffs. But a loss in a big game to a young Broncos team would suggest that, finally, the Chiefs have lost their grip on the AFC and might be beatable after all.

It’s hard to imagine a more important regular-season game for the Chiefs. A loss could signal the beginning of the end of their dynasty. Conversely, a Chiefs victory could serve as a reminder that it rolls on.