Well, this game was over after the Denver Broncos took a 7-0 lead. They ended up winning 38-0 against a Chiefs team that played all their back-ups on both sides of the football. Still, a shutout loss isn’t fun, but with the top seed in the AFC wrapped up, they end the season with a 15-2 mark.
Denver Broncos Head Coach Sean Payton and Quarterback Bo Nix threw their entire playbook at the Chief’s defense, so much so that they’ll enter the playoffs as the number seven seed and will face the Buffalo Bills next weekend in their wild-card game.
On the flip side, Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid played as vanilla an offense as I’ve seen in his career. Granted, he had five new starters on the offensive line. None of his top receivers or running backs played, and Carson Wentz took one for the team.
With the loss, the Cincinnati Bengals were eliminated from the postseason, leaving plenty of Ohio sports fans unhappy. To them, win another game in the regular season you lost.
The Chiefs’ plan in Denver was simple: avoid injury. They almost succeeded, except for Chamarri Connor, who left the game with a shoulder injury.
The game star was Bo Nix, who was on fire, completing 26 of 29 passes for 321 yards and four touchdowns. Running the entire playbook, he lit up the Chiefs defense with precision and ease. The Chiefs didn’t blitz in this game, and Nix’s accuracy and mobility in the pocket allowed him to lead Denver in rushing with 47 yards.
One bright spot of the offense was Nikko Remigio’s play. He led the Chiefs in receiving with 48 yards on a pair of receptions. He had six targets, but most of those misses fell on Wentz, who seemed to short-arm receivers all game long.
Credit to Denver. They did what needed to be done, and they’ll give the Bills a challenging first-round game. Should they defeat Buffalo, they’d travel to Kansas City in the divisional round to face the Chiefs again.
In my book, I’m glad the Chiefs split their games against Denver. The first time they played, the Chiefs won on a blocked field goal. Neither team was sharp that day, and both were playing their best football and heading into the playoffs.
Andy Reid certainly has time to ensure he gets his star players ready, who must manage a 23-day layoff. I’d be concerned if this were another NFL team that wasn’t chasing NFL royalty with a chance to become the Three-Peat Super Bowl Champion.
However, Reid managed to get some of his veterans enough practice time this week, and on Sunday, he got his backups some time on the field.
Still, the most significant question mark for Reid, beyond getting ready for their divisional-round opponent, will be deciding who starts at left tackle. DJ Humphries returned to the starting lineup, but at times he struggled. Joe Thuney has played flawless left tackle for the Chiefs down the stretch, and based on what we saw in Denver, I’d say Thuney and Mike Caliendo could start in two weeks.
Overall, the Chiefs, who won’t be able to travel back to Kansas City until Monday morning because of the current blizzard conditions at home, won’t be fazed by this loss. Their regular season was over once they defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers on Christmas Day.
Now, the fun begins!
