ENGLEWOOD, COLORADO — The Denver Broncos don’t have to breathe any easier knowing they won’t have to face Patrick Mahomes and several other Kansas City Chiefs starters for a playoff spot on Sunday.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid announced his decision to rest Mahomes on Wednesday, but with Kansas City already clinched the AFC’s top seed, there is no one left to spend the day with the three-time Super Bowl MVP in Denver. It was not revealed who else would be there.
But superstar defensive tackle Chris Jones (strained calf) will likely keep that out. And so are running back Isiah Pacheco (rib injury), right tackle Jawaan Taylor (knee soreness) and veteran tight end Travis Kelce. He similarly skipped the Week 18 game last year.
“We’ve got to play to win, that’s all that matters,” Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton said. “We are not interested in anything else. Whoever wears red, white and yellow with shoulder pads should win.
“We don’t care who shows up and plays,” Sutton continued. “We don’t care who sits. We don’t care who doesn’t play or who plays. We’re not interested in that. The Denver Broncos need to show up on Sunday and win the game.”
If that happens, the Broncos (9-7) would clinch a playoff spot for the first time since winning Super Bowl 50 in Peyton Manning’s final game on Feb. 7, 2016.
The franchise has gone through six coaches and more than a dozen starting quarterbacks since winning the team’s third Lombardi Trophy nearly nine years ago.
The Chiefs (15-1) earned their third win in 11 days and secured a first-round bye in the conference with a 29-10 win at Pittsburgh on Christmas Day, seeking their third straight win as Super Bowl champions. Reid is using the finale as an opportunity to rest some of his starters, who will have more than three weeks off until they return to the field for an AFC divisional round game on Jan. 18 or 19.
“I know it’s a credit to Kansas City, Andy and his team,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said. “When you’re 15-1, you make those decisions and I’ve been in positions where the team might need a break here or there. They got it and it’s part of the deal. For us, it’s about understanding what we’re looking at scheme-wise and being prepared to play our best game.”
The Broncos have squandered their chances to close out a playoff spot with road losses to the Los Angeles Chargers and Cincinnati Bengals over the past two weeks. But they are embracing the moment of taking control of their own destiny with a winning performance at home on Sunday.
“I can tell you it would have been nice to have been able to come into this game and lock down my position,” said Sutton. “But in terms of the storybook, I couldn’t have written it better. This is our best opportunity to solidify why we deserve to be in dance.”
If Cincinnati loses to Pittsburgh on Saturday and the Miami Dolphins lose to the New York Jets on Sunday, the Broncos could return to the playoffs even if they lose to the Chiefs or tie Sunday.
But they aren’t relying on anyone else to earn a playoff ticket.
“We have to win the game,” Sutton said. “It’s simple,” he said. “Nothing goes in it. We have to win the game. People say it’s never black and white. It’s black and white. We have to win the game. And it’s as simple as possible.”
The Broncos snapped a 16-game losing streak to the Chiefs last season with a 24-9 win in Denver and were on the verge of beating Kansas City at Arrowhead Stadium in Week 10 when the Chiefs blocked a 33-yard field goal. Time expired to preserve the win, 16-14.
In the wake of that heartbreak, the Broncos flipped Alex Forsyth and Matt Peart to the left side of their field goal protection unit. Kicker Wil Lutz has gone 12 of 12 on field goals and 22 on extra points since then.
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