Denver Broncos fans have one heck of a Christmas to look forward to. Not only has Father Christmas gifted Broncos Country a new first-round cornerback and a new starting running back via the NFL draft, but one last present was just announced by the league schedule-makers.
The Broncos will take on the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 17 at Arrowhead Stadium on Christmas Night on Amazon Prime's Thursday Night Football.
Christmas in KC 🎄❄️ pic.twitter.com/WevLqVQ2w5
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) May 12, 2025
The Broncos are 2-2 all-time in Christmas Day (or night) games. All four have been road games, and that trend will continue with what will be the Broncos' fifth Christmas game in Kansas City later this year.
The fullness of the Broncos' 2025 regular-season schedule will be unveiled by the NFL on Wednesday. But for now, fans can count on a spectacular AFC West showdown with the Chiefs on Christmas.
The Broncos haven't won in Kansas City since Week 2 of the 2015 season. Denver came close last season, but a blocked go-ahead field goal that would have delivered a massive upset at Arrowhead kept the Chiefs' home winning streak vs. the Broncos alive.
Bo Nix played very well in that game, delivering two first-half touchdown passes, before driving the Broncos down in the four-minute drill into chip-shot field goal range, down by two points. Alas, the Chiefs had identified a weakness on the left side of Denver's field-goal line, and Alex Forsyth was unceremoniously exploited in the clutch, with Chiefs linebacker Leo Chenal hopping through the gap to block Wil Lutz's kick.
CHIEFS BLOCK A FIELD GOAL TO STAY UNDEFEATED 🤯
(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/YB9ozYBKRg— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 10, 2024
The Broncos snatched defeat from the jaws of victory in that one, but since Sean Payton's arrival as head coach, he's 2-2 vs. the Chiefs. Payton finally snapped Kansas City's heretofore 16-game winning streak over the Broncos back in 2023, came close to the upset in Week 10's blocked-field-goal fiasco, and dominated the Carson Wentz-led Chiefs in the season finale.
With this being a Week 17 matchup, it will likely have massive AFC West and conference playoff implications. The Broncos took some massive steps forward last year, winning 10 games and wearning a Wildcard berth, and their head-to-head results vs. the Chiefs have improved over the past two years.
Meanwhile, the Chiefs made it all the way to the Super Bowl, but ultimately came up way short of a three-peat, with the Philadelphia Eagles dominating Patrick Mahomes and company. The Chiefs didn't do a whole lot roster-wise this offseason, relying on the key personnel pieces that have sustained them as the class of the AFC for the past three years, including Mahomes.
Andy Reid opted not to retire, returning for his 13th season as Kansas City's head coach. That's always going to be an advantage for the Chiefs, but the roster is starting to age, including All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce (35) and defensive end Chris Jones (30).
Meanwhile, the Broncos are young and hungry, and added several additional key pieces this offseason to an already talented and balanced roster. Until the Broncos can unseat the Chiefs in the AFC West, though, the division will still be under Kansas City's control.
Is this the year the Broncos finally overtake the Chiefs? Time will tell, but that Christmas Night throwdown at Arrowhead could be the determining factor late in the season.
The Broncos have also been rumored to be in line for an overseas game in London vs. the New York Jets. But we've yet to receive official confirmation of that potential International Game. We'll know for sure on Wednesday when the NFL releases the full schedule.
