NFL
NFL Week 17
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The Denver Broncos have beaten the Kansas City Chiefs 20-13 on “Thursday Night Football” in a thrilling finale to the NFL’s Christmas Day tripleheader.
Bo Nix’s touchdown pass to RJ Harvey with 1:05 remaining in the fourth quarter gave Denver the lead, and the Broncos held off a late Chiefs drive led by Chris Oladokun to secure the victory.
The Broncos improved to 13-3 and can clinch an AFC West title if the Chargers lose or tie. The Chiefs dropped to 6-10 in what may have been the final home game of Travis Kelce's career.
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Kansas City will wrap up its season on Jan. 4 in Las Vegas against the Raiders. The Chiefs will carry a 6-10 record into that game and will have lost seven of their past eight games, including five straight.
This Chiefs team could have folded, given the season-ending injuries to Patrick Mahomes and then Gardner Minshew in each of the past two weeks. Instead, Kansas City gave Denver all it could handle in front of an electric holiday crowd at Arrowhead Stadium — an effort led by No. 3 quarterback Chris Oladokun in his first career NFL start.
Oladokun showed his limitations but acquitted himself well, turning potential sacks into big gains at multiple key points. He finished 13-for-22 with 66 passing yards, one touchdown pass and no interceptions. He also ran for 11 yards on two carries.
Christopher B.: Hats off to the Chiefs for keeping this close with nothing to play for. The stats are massively lopsided in favor of the Broncos.
Edy S.: Darn. First time I can ever remember wanting KC to win….Their backup (backup backup?) QB seemed like a really great guy.
Michael P.: How do you explain Chris Jones forgetting how to play football for a year?
Kenneth B.: As we in Philly are only too painfully reminded, only an Andy Reid coached team can get called for a delay of game penalty coming out of a timeout! Something’s never change!
Christopher B.: Unbelievable that this game was largely decided by a Chris Jones neutral zone infraction on 4th down and a delay of game after clocking the ball. The Broncos are like the Chiefs of 2019-2024. The number of clutch plays they make are roughly equivalent to the number of choke jobs by their opponents.
The Broncos snapped a nine-game losing streak at Arrowhead Stadium that began in 2016. Last win here before tonight was the Bradley Roby scoop-and-score game.
Looked for a bit like the KC voodoo was going to bring the Broncos down. But they finished the long drives in the 2nd half.
It took until the Chiefs’ final drive, but Travis Kelce finally provided some crowd-pleasing moments with three late catches. The 36-year-old legend, playing in perhaps his final home game before retirement, finished as his team’s leading receiver — albeit with just 36 yards on five catches.
RJ Harvey is turning into an important weapon for Denver. He had 43 rushing yards on 14 attempts and added five catches for 33 yards, including the game-winning score.
As he has several times this season, Bo Nix played his best football of the game when it mattered most and helped atone for an early mistake. The final of Nix’s 36 pass attempts was his touchdown throw to RJ Harvey that eventually stood up as the game-winner. Nix finished 23-for-36 passing for 182 yards, the touchdown and his first-quarter interception that led to the Chiefs’ only touchdown of the game.
Nix also rushed for 42 yards and a touchdown on nine caries.
Denver finished with 303 yards of total offense to just 139 yards for Kansas City. The Broncos had the ball for 39 minutes, 28 seconds to just 20:32 for the Chiefs.
And yet, it was a one-score game.
Total Yards
Passing Yards
Rushing Yards
First Downs
Turnovers
Possession Time
Travis Kelce finished the night with five catches for 36 yards, leading Kansas City in both categories. The Chiefs’ passing game struggled throughout the night.
Bo Nix this week: “Whatever it takes to win the game. It doesn’t really at this point matter what it looks like. All the cool, flashy stuff can have already happened, but now it’s just who has more points.”
Broncos 20, Chiefs 13.
Quest for the No. 1 seed is alive.
The Broncos move to 13-3 and will win the AFC West with a loss by the Chargers to the Texans on Saturday — or a win over those Chargers at home in Week 18.
A win next week would also give Denver the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye.
Broncos 20, Chiefs 13
That will do it. Denver wraps it up and is still in very good shape to win the No. 1 seed for the AFC playoffs. Terrific fight by the Chiefs.
Q4 0:20 – Broncos 20, Chiefs 13
A delay-of-game penalty pushes back the Chiefs 5 yards, so it’s third-and-8. Chris Oladokun looks for Travis Kelce, but the pass is just out of the tight end’s hands.
And now it’s fourth down. Oladokun goes into the end zone for Hollywood Brown, but it is over his head, and Denver will win it.
Q4 0:25 – Broncos 20, Chiefs 13
Chris Oladokun finds Travis Kelce again, this time for 14 yards to the 28-yard line, and Oladokun scrambles to the 20. He spikes the ball to kill the clock, and it’s third-and-3.
Q4 1:03 – Broncos 20, Chiefs 13
Big run from Kareem Hunt, and Kansas City gets the first down and more. The 14-yard run moves Kansas City to the Denver 42-yard line.
Q4 1:17 – Broncos 20, Chiefs 13
Chris Oladokun starts with a quick screen to Travis Kelce and finds Kelce again, but he’s short of the first down. Kansas City has to take its final timeout.
RJ Harvey does a great job to get free from Bryan Cook to catch the 1-yard TD on third-and-goal, his 12th of the season. Once again, the per-carry average doesn't jump off the page, but Harvey made some big, big plays in this game.
Q4 1:45 – Broncos 20, Chiefs 13
Bo Nix rolls to the right and sees RJ Harvey in the back of the end zone. Harvey did some terrific work to get open, and it’s a touchdown. Wil Lutz’s extra point gives the Broncos a seven-point lead.
