The Denver Broncos entered Sunday knowing their playoff destiny was in their control, and with the Kansas City Chiefs sitting their starters, all indications were that they would get the job done at home.
Bo Nix didn’t just win. He threw four touchdowns in the 38-0 win over the Chiefs, clinching the No. 7 seed in the AFC. This made the Broncos the last team in the NFL to qualify for the playoffs.
As Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and others watch from the sidelines after nearly a month of rest before they can finally play again as the AFC’s No. 1 seed, the Knicks will get to work right away against fellow Chiefs defensemen. That was my intention. The main players were on the bench.
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Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton will participate in a reception on Sunday. (Ron Chenoy-Iman Images)
The Broncos scored their first touchdown of the game on a perfectly executed 32-yard screen play by Marvin Mims Jr., making it 7-0 with just six plays to reach 70 yards.
Two more touchdown drives followed, with the Knicks scoring three straight points. The Knicks scored on Courtland Sutton from 10 yards out to lead an 11-minute drive that ended with Devaughn Verre somehow hooking a tipped pass for a 3-yard score. . It happened on the 18th play of the drive and made the game 21-0.
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Meanwhile, Carson Wentz, who started in Mahomes’ place, could do nothing to stop a stingy Broncos defense that forced two three-and-outs to start the game. Then, after gaining a few yards, the Chiefs missed a field goal when Harrison Butker went wide left with 51 yards left.
This was the closest the Chiefs came to scoring. In the second half, it was punt, punt, turnover on down, then punt.
Denver Broncos linebacker Jonathon Cooper sacks Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Carson Wentz in the second quarter at Mile High’s Empower Field. (Ron Chenoy-Iman Images)
The Knicks, on the other hand, didn’t end up putting up points on the board, and it came in the form of another Mims touchdown, this time from seven yards out.
To further extend their lead, the Broncos scored with a goal from one yard out from Audric Estim to seal the victory and send the Mile High crowd into a frenzy as they knew they had finally clinched a playoff berth.
In the box score, Knicks was an impressive 26-of-29 for 321 yards with four touchdown passes. His top targets were players with any of the Week 18 incentives.
Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix is shown during the first quarter of a game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Empower Field at Mile High. (Ron Chenoy-Iman Images)
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Sutton needed 82 receiving yards to qualify for $2 million in incentives, but he finished with 98 on five receptions, including a 47-yard bomb from Nix for his first reception of the game. Achieved.
Nix also led the Broncos with 47 yards on seven carries.
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