Welcome back to another edition of Around the AFC West. Well, Chiefs Kingdom, Week 15 made the race to claim the AFC West crown much more interesting.
Going into Thursday night, the Kansas City Chiefs had a chance to secure the number one overall seed and a first-round bye. As we all remember, that didn’t happen, but before we dive in, let’s take a look at how the rest of the division fared in Week 15 and look ahead to Week 16.
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos hosted the Cleveland Browns in a desperate bid to keep their playoff hopes alive. However, the Browns were also fighting for a playoff spot and they came out the better team beating the Broncos 17-16. Led by rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield, the Browns exorcized their demons by beating the Broncos for the first time since 1990.
Going stride for stride for most of the game, the Broncos hoped to remain in the hunt for the last playoff spot. Alas, the Broncos didn’t have the fire power at the end of the game to pull out a come from behind win. With 1:49 left on the clock, the Broncos got the ball back at their 13-yard line. They drove to the 50 with 52 seconds remaining in the game.
After spiking the ball to stop the clock, Case Keenum threw two incompletions and was sacked to end the game. Questionable game management from Vance Joseph led the Broncos not attempting a 4th down conversion at the Browns’ 6-yard line and has placed him in the hot seat for next year.
The Broncos have some tough decisions to make in the next few weeks. Will we see a new head coach? Rumors are swirling that John Elway has had secret conversations with Mike Shanahan about a return to coaching. Along with tough coaching decisions, the Broncos faces a decimated secondary. Two cornerbacks left the game with injuries and a third was ejected. The Broncos were scrambling.
Next week, the Broncos host the Oakland Raiders on Christmas Eve. This is obviously a divisional battle, but has absolutely no meaning whatsoever. Both the Raiders and Broncos have been eliminated from playoff contention so this could very simply come down to Vance Joseph’s desire to keep his job. Game time is 7:15 p.m.