KC Chiefs rivalry with Denver Broncos has become laughably one-sided

The Chiefs have opened as nearly 2 touchdown favorites against the Broncos in Week 13.

As the Kansas City Chiefs recover from a close road win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and begin to prepare for another primetime showcase—this time against the visiting Denver Broncos in Week 13—oddsmakers are telling Andy Reid and company not to worry too much about the matchup.

Any AFC West game comes with a heightened level of competitive energy, but given the early line that designates the Chiefs as 13.5-point favorites, it’s clear that few people believe the Broncos will even be able to keep things close against K.C. next Sunday night.

The good news for the Broncos is that they will actually employ a legitimate quarterback on Sunday evening instead of relying on a practice squad wide receiver, which is what the NFL forced them to do in Week 12. After the entire quarterback room was told to quarantine due to contract tracing for COVID-19, the Broncos didn’t have a single QB available to them against the New Orleans Saints.

This week, however, Drew Lock and other options should test negatively enough times in order to be cleared to play on Sunday, and if so, that should help the Broncos chances. Then again, even with any quarterback available to them, the Broncos have had an impossible time trying to beat the Chiefs in the last few seasons.

The Broncos haven’t defeated the Chiefs in their last 10 games, a stretch that dates back to early in the 2015 season when Denver last supplied K.C. with a loss. That’s back when Josh Mauga was a starting linebacker, and the Chiefs relied on Jeremy Maclin as their best wideout.

What’s even more embarrassing for the Broncos is that the losing streak is only getting worse. In 2017-18, the four contests between the Chiefs and Broncos were at least close, with an average deficit of only 5 points. Since Vic Fangio took over (or perhaps when Steve Spagnuolo took over the Chiefs defense), the average margin of victory for the Chiefs has climbed to nearly 24 points per game.

Bottom line: the spread might be far too low. If Fangio got within 2 touchdowns of the Chiefs final score, it would be his team’s best performance against the Chiefs in the last two years. That’s how lopsided this rivalry has become.