The Kansas City Chiefs were absolutely dominated by the Denver Broncos in Week 18.
In a game where the Chiefs’ offense gained less than 100 net yards, Kansas City ultimately lost the AFC West showdown 38-0 and ended its regular season campaign with a 15-2 record.
The Chiefs rested their starters in Week 18 after clinching the No. 1 seed for the AFC playoffs with a win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Christmas Day.
Rookie quarterback Bo Nix stunned Kansas City’s defense with a dominant performance in which he completed 26 of his 29 passing attempts for 321 yards and three touchdowns without being intercepted.
In contrast, veteran signal-caller Carson Wentz—who was under center for Kansas City while Patrick Mahomes got some well-deserved time off—threw for 98 yards, and only managed to complete 10 of his 17 attempts.
This contest was an absolute abomination. It was functionally treated as a preseason game by the Chiefs, and Denver needed a win to punch their ticket to the postseason.
Despite the loss, Kansas City has a much clearer path to a Super Bowl LIX victory than the Broncos, who will face the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card round of the playoffs next week while the Chiefs take a bye.