After reaching the AFC Championship Game in seven consecutive seasons, the Kansas City Chiefs have been eliminated from playoff contention. Their top two quarterbacks have both suffered torn ACL injuries, and superstar tight end Travis Kelce may be on his way out.
The 2025 season has gone worse than anyone could have imagined for the Chiefs, but it's not over quite yet. They still have something to play for, even if their hopes of a postseason appearance are already dashed.
Kansas City's matchup with the Denver Broncos on Christmas Day provides a golden opportunity to ruin a division rival's chances of earning homefield advantage in the playoffs.
Chiefs have perfect opportunity to steal Broncos' Christmas joy
The AFC West has been flipped on its head. After the Chiefs have reigned atop the division for nearly a decade, a new team is set to take the title. The Broncos currently sit atop the division and hold the first overall seed in the AFC playoff race. But after a Week 16 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, their grip on both spots is quickly slipping.
Denver now has just a one-game lead on the Los Angeles Chargers in the division race and is tied with the New England Patriots at the top of the conference. One more loss, and they become vulnerable to a significant drop in playoff seeding.
The Chiefs are about to get the perfect chance to make that happen. They play the Broncos on Thursday in a game that everyone will expect them to lose. Without a clear starting quarterback in Kansas City, the Broncos will be heavy favorites. But even as the Chiefs' season draws to a close, the opportunity to ruin a heated rival's dreams is just too good to ignore.
Aging stars like Travis Kelce and Chris Jones are bound to prove once again that they still have what it takes to defeat the Broncos. The Chiefs are certainly in a vulnerable position without Mahomes to lead the offense. But at this point in the year, they have nothing to lose. There's no reason to play a conservative brand of football anymore. No precious record to protect. Kansas City can throw everything it has at Denver with the sole purpose of sinking a division foe's miraculous season.
Sure, this has been a brutal season for Kansas City, but it isn't time for fans to tune out just yet.