KC Chiefs at Broncos predictions: AA writers’ picks for Week 14

The Chiefs don’t just win in Denver. They do it in ways that you will never forget. This game promises to be must-watch football.

The 9-3 Chiefs’ five-game winning streak came to a halt in Cincinnati last week, but the Chiefs are still in a position to win the AFC West for the seventh consecutive season (possibly as soon as Sunday night).

More importantly, the Chiefs have to take care of business in Denver against their rival Broncos in their Week 14 matchup in order to keep pace with Buffalo in the race for the 1-seed in the AFC. This game was initially slated for Sunday Night Football, but the Broncos are actually so terrible that the NFL flexed Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs out of primetime football in order to highlight a Dolphins/Chargers game that will not be so lopsided.

Possibly the best thing about watching the 3-9 Broncos’ season plummet from the sky like a flaming meteor is the fact that they won’t even reap the benefits of a great draft pick in 2023. The Seattle Seahawks received the Broncos’ first and second-round picks next year in the Russell Wilson trade.

The Chiefs are in Denver to do what they always do there, but, hold on. The Chiefs don’t just win in Denver. They do it in ways that you will never forget. This game promises to be must-watch football when you consider the last seven games the Chiefs have played in Colorado:

Writer recap

Other than to congratulate Ellen Mathis and Jacob Milham, each for correctly guessing the exact 27-24 score (but the wrong winner), there are no accolades to hand out for last week’s game. We all thought the Chiefs would win that one. On to Denver. Here are this week’s writer’s picks:

Patrick Allen (9-3)
The Chiefs should win this game easily because the Chiefs are a much better team than the Denver Broncos. But the Chiefs don’t like making things easy on themselves, especially in divisional games. KC gets the win but frustrates us into the fourth quarter before pulling away.
Chiefs 24, Broncos 12

Adam Best (7-3)
Travis Kelce is on pace to easily finish with more receiving touchdowns (12) than Russell Wilson has passing TDs (8). This season might be more embarrassing for the Denver Broncos than that time they thought Tim Tebow might be a starting quarterback. The Chiefs roll to keep the remarkable win streak vs. their biggest rival alive.
Chiefs 30, Broncos 12

Matt Conner (8-4)
Even in open-world video games where “anything is possible,” there are certain places on a map where the game will stop even trying to gently persuade you to go in another direction. Instead, it’ll come down with a “You can’t go this route.” It’s just a way for programmers to say “What in the world are you even doing out here?” That’s what should appear before anyone tries to back the Broncos at this point.
Chiefs 30, Broncos 12

Anthony Hatton (8-4)
At a first glance, this looks like an easy win for the Chiefs. The Chiefs face a divisional team in the Broncos who has a defense that is top-5 in points allowed and total yards allowed. This game will be closer than it may seem it should be. Although the Chiefs won’t run up the scoreboard, it is hard to believe in a Denver offense being good enough to stun Kansas City.
Chiefs 23, Broncos 1

Scott Loring (7-5)
It’s a pride-filled division rivalry, but there’s no viable reason to think the Broncos will miraculously get up for this game. Broncos’ head coach Nathaniel Hackett and quarterback Russell Wilson have zero emotional ties to the rivalry. The Chiefs need to see their defense force some turnovers and this seems like a good week to start. The Broncos turn it over twice and the Chiefs roll.
Chiefs 33, Broncos 16

Ellen Mathis (10-2)
The Broncos are bad but their defense is playing well. This will be a good test for a Chiefs offense that feels like it sputtered last week. I also think this is the week when George Karlaftis registers 3 sacks of Russell Wilson. You heard it here first, folks. Anyways, the Chiefs streak continues against a bad Broncos team.
Chiefs 33, Broncos 12 (in the form of 4 field goals and the toilets continue to dominate this season)

Jacob Milham (9-3)
Denver is easily one of the league’s biggest letdowns in 2022. But, their defense remains among the best, especially against the pass. They are the only team to not surrender more than 10 passing touchdowns this season. The Broncos’ exotic blitz scheme certainly helps. I fear that this will be a rough game for the Chiefs’ offensive line, and I predict they will surrender at least four sacks on Sunday. But, even if Patrick’s jersey gets dirty, the Chiefs will be victors of a hard-fought game.
Chiefs 23, Broncos 16

Greg Morse (7-3)
Travis Kelce hits 10,000 career receiving yards and his 7th straight 1000-yard season in the same game this week against the Broncos. Fitting, because as we all know, Kelce “hates them”.
Chiefs 34 Broncos 10

Charles Robinson (10-2)
This should be an easy win (the 14th in a row over the Broncos) for the Chiefs, but there are certainly challenges that could pop up for KC. The Broncos sport the league’s third-best defensive unit in 2022 and are allowing only 17 points per game. Patrick Surtain II and the Broncos secondary will be a tough matchup for a banged-up Chiefs receiving corps, but the Bronco killer himself, Travis Kelce, should be primed for a huge bounce back after a disappointing showing against Cincinnati. Look for the Chiefs defense to puzzle Russell Wilson and an underwhelming Broncos offense as Kansas City gets back in the win column.
Chiefs 27, Broncos 13

KC Proctor (9-3)
If Joe Thuney returns this week, this game will come down to one thing: patience. The Broncos secondary is incredible, but with no more Bradley Chubb and with Randy Gregory out, the pass rush is soft. Just need good protection and Pat to buy some time.
Chiefs 24, Broncos 9

Byron Smith (5-2)
Denver’s defense is actually kind of tough, it’s just unfortunate that the Broncos’ offense is so dysfunctional they can’t ride that success to some W’s. The Chiefs are in a bit of a rut right now, with some horrendous red zone conversion rates in the last few weeks, and I don’t think they turn it around against this Denver defense. It’s a tight game, but Butker seals the win.
Chiefs 17, Broncos 16

Stacy Smith (2-1)
If such a thing as a “get right” game exists, it’s this Sunday in Denver. The visiting Chiefs, coming off a loss to the Bengals, will be anxious to exorcise some of their demons from last Sunday. Despite a tough assignment, Patrick Mahomes will be sharp and reassert himself as the MVP favorite.
Chiefs 27, Broncos 17

Lucas Strozinsky (8-4)
This probably should be a blow-out victory for Kansas City, but I don’t think it will happen. The Broncos have a good defense, plus a bad offense, and the Chiefs usually can handle one-dimensional teams. It won’t be as pretty as we want it to be, but the Chiefs will win in the end.
Chiefs 24, Broncos 13

Grant Tuttle (10-2)
The Chiefs are essentially unstoppable when it comes to the Broncos. After many torturous years, we are now in a place where the last time the Broncos beat the Chiefs, Barack Obama was president and “Hamilton” was a new Broadway musical. I look for that hilarious streak to continue and for Mahomes to absolutely GO OFF against what is considered a great defense and put himself back in the driver’s seat for the MVP.
Chiefs 28, Broncos 10