Who is currently the Chiefs biggest rival in the AFC West?

1. Denver Broncos

Donkeyheads. The worst of them all when it comes to Chiefs rivals in my mind. The Raiders and Chiefs have some intense hatred, but recently the Raiders haven’t been good enough to matter.

The Broncos have always been a team that I just can’t stand. From John Elway to Peyton Manning, they have always had the better quarterback. A lot of times, they were also the better team. That is obviously not the case now with Patrick Mahomes at the helm, but before him it always seemed like they had the Chiefs’ number. The Chiefs hold the edge in overall record at 65-55, but a huge chunk was when the Chiefs dominated the ’60s winning 19 of 20 games. The Broncos held the edge in wins in every decade up until the 2010s when the tide started to shift. Currently the Chiefs are on a 9 game win streak that should only continue.

From Elway being softer than Charmin Ultra by not snapping the ball because Chiefs Kingdom was too loud to Mike Shanahan admitting his team was applying vasoline to their arms to make them more slippery, the Broncos make it easy to dislike them. I still can’t get over Elway refusing to snap the ball because Arrowhead was rocking like Def Leppard in 1987. That memory alone is enough to put the Broncos at No. 1.

One of the main reasons why the Broncos are bigger rivals than the Raiders to me is the recent success factor. When Manning went to the Broncos, it infuriated me. The Chiefs had their problems with Manning when he was in Indianapolis and when he came into the division, I was not a happy camper. Those Broncos teams proceeded to put up some gaudy offensive numbers, employ a strong defense, win a Super Bowl and get on Chiefs fans nerves. It seemed as if the Broncos constantly had the Chiefs number. Whether it was Elway, Jake Plummer, Jay Cutler, or Peyton Manning, the Broncos seemed to mostly come out on top.

With the retirement of Manning, Elway struggled mightily to find the next guy to take over the team at quarterback as the Broncos started piling up losses to Kansas City. He seemingly tried every 6’6 guy he could find before they may have found something in Drew Lock. Lock went 4-1 in his 5 starts last season, albeit with an absolute beatdown in Arrowhead.

People will inevitably bring up Neil Smith as a factor since he played 9 seasons in Kansas City before playing 3, and winning 2 Super Bowls, in Denver. This is more about the teams and less about him. For all accounts, Neil wanted to stay in Kansas City but Marty seemingly wanted him gone with the impending pay day and his age. Smith still lives in and loves Kansas City and is absolutely a great guy. That decision was more on the team than him.

Just the colors of the Broncos makes me want to see Tyreek Hill blow past their defense or see Honey Badger pick off Drew Lock and celebrate with the too smart gesture. With the Broncos, it’s a rivalry that you just feel in your body, one that has you waking up earlier than normal on game day to get your grill right, your beer cold, and your arm ready for the Tomahawk Chop. Right now the rivalry is fairly one-sided with Mahomes and Co. running this team, but no game comes easy in Mile High. Each win in elevation somehow tastes sweeter.

The AFC West now runs through Kansas City and, if you noticed the trends, the Chiefs have a winning record against every team in their division. It has always been about the Chiefs. I feel grateful growing up in a passionate city that loves their team and will be by their side through thick and thin. I love the feeling of rivalry games where fan bases talk trash and the players feel like it actually means more. I appreciate the passion of the other AFC West fans as well, but when it comes down to it, there is no place quite like Chiefs Kingdom. #RunItBack