The NFL probably didn’t picture this one going down like it is.
When the schedule-makers slotted the Kansas City Chiefs to host the Denver Broncos on Christmas night for Thursday Night Football in Week 17, the league was banking on a marquee AFC West showdown-two playoff-bound teams, a raucous Arrowhead crowd, and Patrick Mahomes doing Mahomes things under the holiday lights.
Instead, what we’re getting is something entirely different.
The 6-9 Chiefs are officially out of the playoff hunt. Mahomes is done for the season with a torn ACL and LCL, a devastating blow that sent shockwaves through the league and effectively ended Kansas City’s postseason hopes. Now, instead of fighting for a division title or playoff seeding, the Chiefs are simply trying to finish a bruising season with some pride intact.
Kickoff is still set for 7:15 p.m. local time at Arrowhead, with national coverage on Amazon Prime and local broadcasts on KSHB/41 in Kansas City and KMGH/7 in Denver. But the betting line tells the story of just how much has changed. FanDuel Sportsbook has the Chiefs as 11.5-point underdogs-a number that would’ve been unthinkable just a few weeks ago.
To put that in perspective: back in Week 11, when these two teams met in Denver, the Chiefs were 3.5-point favorites. That game ended in a 22-19 Broncos win, a result that was surprising at the time but now feels like the beginning of Kansas City’s unraveling.
Even after Mahomes went down, the oddsmakers weren’t quite ready to count out the Chiefs. They were still favored heading into their Week 16 matchup against the Tennessee Titans.
But that game turned into another gut punch. Kansas City lost 26-9, and with it, likely lost backup quarterback Gardner Minshew to what’s feared to be another ACL tear.
That leaves the Chiefs turning to Chris Oladokun, a longtime practice squad QB who’s now in line to start on Thursday night. It’s a tough spot for any quarterback, let alone one making his first NFL start in primetime against a playoff-caliber defense. And it’s why Kansas City is facing underdog odds it hasn’t seen in decades.
As for the Broncos, they’ve got their own reasons to be locked in. At 12-3, they’re in great shape for the postseason, but the AFC West title is still up for grabs.
The 11-4 Chargers are right on their heels, and Denver can’t afford to slip up now. Especially after dropping a 34-20 game at home to the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 16-a game where they were favored by 3.5 points and came out flat.
So, no, this isn’t the Christmas night clash the NFL had in mind. But there’s still plenty on the line for Denver, and for Kansas City, it’s a chance to see what they’ve got in a young quarterback thrown into the fire. It’s not the story we expected-but it’s still football in late December, and that always brings its own kind of drama.