Overview
- Denver secured its first division crown since 2015 after Los Angeles lost to Houston, guaranteeing a home playoff game and no worse than the AFC’s No. 3 seed.
- The Broncos improved to 13-3 with a 20-13 Christmas Day win at Kansas City, keeping them atop the conference entering the final week.
- A Week 18 victory over the Chargers would clinch the AFC’s top seed, with limited scenarios involving losses by New England, Buffalo and Jacksonville offering an earlier path.
- Coverage credits Sean Payton, GM George Paton and the Walton-Penner ownership group, plus the emergence of QB Bo Nix and a defense-led identity, for the franchise’s rapid turnaround.
- Linebacker Jonathon Cooper posted and then deleted expletive-laced messages aimed at the Chiefs after the clinch; he is a key defender with eight sacks and a recent multi-year extension.