The Denver Broncos Week 17 matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs doesn’t scream “primetime” but it’s certainly not as meaningless as a lot of people seem to be making it out to be. There’s still a lot on the line for both teams in this game and probably a lot more for the Denver Broncos, specifically, after the team’s decision to fire head coach Nathaniel Hackett, replacing him with interim head coach Jerry Rosburg.
The last time these two teams faced off, the Broncos almost completely overcame a 27-0 deficit to beat Kansas City, only to see their comeback hopes dwindle in the waning minutes of the game after Russell Wilson went out with a concussion, and Brett Rypien threw an interception on one of the Broncos’ final drives of the game.
After getting crushed on Christmas Day, the Broncos have been reeling a bit but a lot has changed in the last handful of days for this team. This game against Kansas City is absolutely massive for the future of the organization and we’re going to take a look at a few reasons why.
1. A Denver Broncos win would set the tone for the 2023 offseason
The Denver Broncos have not beaten the Kansas City Chiefs since early on in the 2015 season. They have been dominated by the likes of Patrick Mahomes and even Alex Smith for the last seven years. Aside from winning a Super Bowl and just getting back to the postseason, in general, one of the goals the Denver Broncos have certainly had near the top of their list is to beat the Kansas City Chiefs.
With the playoffs and obviously the Super Bowl out of the question, beating the Chiefs will be the next best thing. The Broncos’ record is going to be bad no matter what, but this team has been in a ton of one-score games all year. They are 3-8 in one-score games with three losses in overtime. Just imagine how different things could be if even five or six of those games had gone the other direction.
As Russell Wilson pointed out on Wednesday, the Vikings have won 11 one-score games this season.
Beating the Kansas City Chiefs — as a road team, especially — would almost completely alter the vibe for the Broncos throughout the 2023 offseason. It would be a sign that things actually can get better in Denver. This is a hurdle the Broncos have been unable to clear since Patrick Mahomes entered the league. Clearing it now — even as a 4-11 team — would be massive.