DENVER The Denver Broncos ended an eight-year postseason drought Sunday with a 38-0 thumping of Kansas City’s reserves, and rookie quarterback Bo Nix established a team milestone by completing his first 18 passes.
The Broncos (10-7) ended a two-game losing streak and put an end to almost ten years of frustration and despair by making their first postseason appearance since winning Super Bowl 50 after the 2015 season.
After giving two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City (15-2) their first shutout since Oakland on December 16, 2012, they will travel to Buffalo (13-4) in the wild-card round the following Sunday.
In their pursuit of an unprecedented three-peat, Kansas City coach Andy Reid benched Travis Kelce, Patrick Mahomes, and numerous other starters after securing the AFC’s top seed and only first-round bye.
In his first prolonged action since Week 18 of the previous season with the Rams, Carson Wentz, who started at quarterback, flopped. The top pass rush in the league sacked him four times (62 sacks) and he was 10 of 17 for 98 yards.
With four touchdowns, Nix finished the season with 29 touchdowns, second only to fellow former Oregon Ducks standout Justin Herbert’s 31 in 2020 as a rookie in NFL history.
In addition to finishing 26 of 29 for 321 yards, he set a record of 18 straight completions for a quarterback in Broncos history. Nix scored points by hitting Devaughn Vele, Courtland Sutton (five times for 98 yards), and Marvin Mims twice.
Vele’s touchdown, which was meant for Adam Trautman, bounced past cornerbacks Keith Taylor and Nazeeh Johnson twice before he cradled the catch just before he fell out of the back of the end zone, giving Nix 17 straight completions and increasing Denver’s lead to 21-0.
Wentz kept cooling his cleats on the sideline next to Mahomes, who was wearing a white hoodie, after that crazy finish concluded an 18-play, 89-yard drive that lasted more than 11 minutes.
Wil Lutz gave Denver a 24-0 halftime lead with three seconds remaining after Harrison Butker missed his first field goal in eighteen tries at Empower Field at Mile High, going wide left on a 51-yard attempt.
Audric Estime pushed it in from the 1 in the fourth quarter, while Mims’ second touchdown catch late in the third quarter put the Broncos ahead 31-0.
Mahomes, who last played on Christmas Day, and other players who missed this game will have at least 24 days off between games because Kansas City won’t play again until January 18 or 19.
For the first time since winning Super Bowl 50 following the 2015 season, the Broncos are back in the postseason. After winning the Lombardi Trophy, that was the team with the longest postseason drought.
As the seventh and final seed in the AFC, the Broncos earned a trip to Buffalo the following weekend to play Miller in the first round of the playoffs. The victory occurred 3,255 days after Von Miller led them to a 24-10 victory over the Carolina Panthers on February 7, 2016.
In Week 11, the Bills defeated Kansas City 30–21, the only other team to do so this season.
The setback stopped Kansas City’s six-game winning streak, but it also meant they wouldn’t have to meet Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow in the playoffs. In order to have a chance to sneak into the playoffs at 9-8, the Bengals, who defeated Pittsburgh Saturday night to win their fifth straight game, needed Denver to lose.
After a winter storm delayed its aircraft into Colorado for several hours on Saturday, K.C., which had defeated the Broncos in 17 of its last 18 games, was planning to spend the night in Denver.
INJURIES
DB in Kansas City Chamarri Conner was sidelined at the beginning of the third quarter due to a shoulder injury sustained in the first half. RB Isiah Pacheco (ribs), RT Jawaan Taylor (knee), CB Jaylen Watson (ankle), WR Mecole Hardman (knee), DE George Karlaftis, CB Trent McDuffie, and DT Chris Jones (calf) were also injured and did not play for Kansas City.
The Broncos left the game in good shape. In the first half, wide receiver Lil Jordan Humphrey missed just a few snaps due to an ankle issue.
UPCOMING
As they recover for the AFC divisional round on January 18–19, Kansas City will receive a first-round bye.
The Broncos will travel to Buffalo the following weekend to play the Bills in the wild-card round.
— AP Pro Football Writer Arnie Stapleton
Note: Every piece of content is rigorously reviewed by our team of experienced writers and editors to ensure its accuracy. Our writers use credible sources and adhere to strict fact-checking protocols to verify all claims and data before publication. If an error is identified, we promptly correct it and strive for transparency in all updates, feel free to reach out to us via email. We appreciate your trust and support!
