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Broncos bounced from playoff contention by Chiefs
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TEN months ago, confetti rained down on the Denver Broncos after they won the Super Bowl.
On Sunday night, the only thing coming down was rain.
The Kansas City Chiefs dashed all Denver’s remaining hopes of a repeat with a 33-10 rout at wet, sloppy Arrowhead Stadium that knocked the Broncos from postseason contention.
“We can’t win all the time,” Denver cornerback Chris Harris Jr said. “We had a great run. Five straight AFC titles. I guess it’s time for somebody else to win.
“It’s frustrating, but I mean, the way we played today, we don’t deserve to go in the playoffs.”
It wasn’t always that way for Denver.
The Broncos started the season 4-0 and went into their bye week with a 7-3 record. But in their next game against Kansas City, they blew an eight-point lead with 3 minutes left, and the Chiefs wound up getting two field goals in OT for the victory.
That loss sent the Broncos into a downward spiral, and they have lost four of five games.
The Broncos (8-7) aren’t used to preparing for an offseason in December. They had played in five straight playoffs and reached two Super Bowls since the last time they were eliminated early. Denver isn’t used to losing to the Chiefs, either. The last time Kansas City won both games against its longtime divisional rival was in 2000.
The Chiefs went into the contest assured of a playoff spot after the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated bitter division rivals the Baltimore Ravens 31-17 in the other Christmas Day game.
“It stinks,” Broncos QB Trevor Siemian said. “There’s no other way to put it. It’s frustrating right now, but this is part of the deal. We knew we had to win the next two to give ourselves a chance and we didn’t get it done. Regroup this week and give it our best against Oakland.”
Next week’s game has playoff implications as well, just not for the Broncos. If Denver upsets the Raiders and the Chiefs beat San Diego, it will be Kansas City that wins the AFC West.
If Oakland wins or Kansas City loses, the Raiders will earn the No. 2 seed for the playoffs.
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