Broncos visit Chiefs as 13.5-point favorites
It's been a decade since the Broncos beat the Chiefs in Kansas City. If the Chiefs extend that streak on Christmas night, it will be a major surprise.
With both Patrick Mahomes and Gardner Minshew out due to knee injuries, the options at quarterback for the home team are Chris Oladukon and Shane Buechele. And the Chiefs are 6-9. And the Broncos are 12-3.
As a result, the Broncos are currently favored by 13.5 points.
What does Denver coach Sean Payton think about the double-digit point spread?
We don't really pay attention to that," Payton told reporters. "We try to stay in touch with the game. This game specifically - every one of these players understands the significance of where we're at with two games left in the season. We don't really follow the spread honestly. There's just too many other things - this is a three-day work week, so today's meeting this morning was where we're at, the opponent we're playing, what has taken place since the last time we played them. There's carryover. I think for both teams on a short week, there are defenses and offenses maybe, plays that neither one of got to use in the first game that still may apply. So that helps."
It also helps that the Chiefs are extremely shorthanded at the most important position on the team, and that they're playing out the string for the first time since 2012, during Romeo Crennel's lone (and disastrous) 2-14 season as head coach.
That led to the arrival of Andy Reid in 2013, followed by a run of relevance that never (until last Sunday against the Titans) had the Chiefs playing a game while eliminated from playoff contention. And it has resulted in the Chiefs beating the Broncos at home every year since 2016, capped by last year's improbable victory on the last-play block of a potential game-winning Denver field goal.
It likely won't be so close this time around.
After three straight Super Bowl runs, and five in six seasons, the combination of fatigue, disappointment, and the inherent distractions of a holiday week could be the ingredients for the Broncos covering the spread easily. Throw in the fact that the Chiefs and Kansas timed the announcement that the team will leave Arrowhead Stadium after the 2030 season, and plenty of fans may decide to take Christmas off from their commitment to show up and support the team.
The only question, frankly, is whether anyone will bother to watch the standalone prime-time game on Prime Video. If they do, the reason won't be to watch the Chiefs.
Unless, of course, the goal is to enjoy watching them lose, after so many seasons of dominating Denver, and pretty much the rest of the league.