12/25/2016 – Chiefs 33, Broncos 10
The 2016 season was the beginning of something special for the Kansas City Chiefs franchise. Not only would the Chiefs make the playoffs that season, for the second time in three years, this would be the beginning of a playoff streak never before seen in Kansas City.
The 2016 season was also the beginning of something not-so-special for the Denver Broncos. A team that had benefited from Peyton Manning, a great defense, and a consistently healthy roster would decline into abject oblivion.
This decline seemingly began on December 25th, 2016. At 8-6 the Broncos were on the cusp of missing the playoffs for the first time in several years, after taking home the Lombardi Trophy only a year prior. With two games left, the game against the Chiefs was a must-win to keep their hopes alive.
To the chagrin of Denver fans, that small flicker of hope would be doused by a violent flood nearly as soon as the game began. The Chiefs raced out to a commanding 21-7 lead, led by a dazzling 70-yard rush by rookie Tyreek Hill and an 80-yard completion from Alex Smith to Travis Kelce.
The Chiefs stomped the Broncos 35-10, and completely erased any possibility of their rivals making playoffs. They swept the Broncos for the first time in 16 seasons, in what appears to have broken the franchise’s back for a time.
Since that 2016 season, the Chiefs have made the playoffs and won the division every year. The Broncos have yet to make it back to the playoffs.