The Kansas City Chiefs (15-1) or a reasonable facsimile of them play the Denver Broncos (9-7). KC is resting all of its top players in a game that Denver needs to win to make the postseason. Our Chiefs vs Broncos prediction is that heavy underdog KC will cover the 10.5-point spread.
Head-to-head, Kansas City leads with a record of 73-56.
Offshore Odds: Denver is Very Heavily Favored
| Team | Spread | Money Line | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chiefs | +10.5 (-105) | +470 | O 40 (-110) |
| Broncos | -10.5 (-115) | -610 | U 40 (-110) |
A Preseason (Pre-Playoff) Game For the Chiefs
First and foremost, the Chiefs do not owe anyone anything. Not the Bengals. Not the Dolphins. No one.
They won 15 of their first 16 games, clinched the top seed in the AFC, and will enter the game with the best record in the NFL.
They do not need to play Patrick Mahomes or anyone else to adhere to a phantom code of Spartan ideals and competitive purity.
Mahomes, Chris Jones, Isiah Pacheco, Trent McDuffie, Kareem Hunt, George Karlaftis, Travis Kelce, and Justin Reid are all out.
They will be well-rested for the playoffs after not having played since Christmas Day and having no game scheduled for another two weeks. Every team in the AFC bracket except for Miami and Cincinnati is fine with what the Chiefs are doing because no one wants to play the Bengals. There is an argument that the Chiefs should hard try to win so Buffalo has to face Cincinnati, Joe Burrow, and their knockout punch offense.
Mahomes’ backup Carson Wentz is no slouch. He was on the way to winning the MVP in Philadelphia’s Super Bowl year before he blew out his knee. If the Broncos continue playing as shakily as it has in its past two games, they could lose.
Denver is Being Handed a Playoff Spot…Again
The Broncos could have clinched a playoff spot in Week 17 and ended this madness if they had gotten a couple of first downs in overtime against Cincinnati and kneeled for a tie.
But they didn’t.
Sean Payton has the Broncos on the verge of the playoffs probably a year earlier than expected. With a rookie quarterback and a patched-together defense, he’s not getting enough attention for Coach of the Year. The odds are that if Denver makes the playoffs, Buffalo will obliterate them.
Sure, they put a scare into the Chiefs in Week 10 and only lost because their game-winning field goal attempt was blocked. But apart from that, they’ve beaten mostly bad teams. The Ravens destroyed them. They surrendered 32 points to Jameis Winston and the Browns.
Kansas City is doing everything possible to hand the game to Denver. But that doesn’t mean the Broncos will take it. They didn’t against Cincinnati.
Chiefs vs Broncos Prediction: KC Keeps the Game Within the Spread
Wentz and the Chiefs will keep it close and the young Broncos might panic and open the door for the Bengals.
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