When the 5-4 Kansas City Chiefs head to Denver to take on the division-leading 8-2 Broncos on Sunday, it will mark a significant point for both franchises. This game will symbolize the renewal of one of the best NFL rivalries of the past 65 years. One could argue Sunday’s matchup is the most important game between these two teams since the divisional round of the 1997 season. That game saw John Elway’s Broncos come into Kansas City and defeat a 13-win Chiefs team 14-10. Denver would then go on to win the first Super Bowl in their franchise’s history.
Throughout the ’90s, the Chiefs were a perennial contender, as they went to the playoffs on a consistent basis under head coach Marty Schottenheimer. However, they were unable to get over the hump in the playoffs to reach the Super Bowl, suffering some brutal home losses after great regular seasons—the aforementioned loss to Denver in the ’97 season, along with a 10-7 defeat at the hands of the Indianapolis Colts in 1995.
The closest Kansas City got to reaching the Super Bowl in that era was in the 1993 season, when four-time Super Bowl champion QB Joe Montana was acquired in a trade. While Montana helped lead the Chiefs to postseason victories over the Pittsburgh Steelers and Houston Oilers, the Chiefs fell short against the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship.
The Broncos had a stretch in the 1980s in which they appeared in three Super Bowls over a four-year span but lost all three games in lopsided fashion against far more complete rosters. However, from 1990–1995, they failed to win a postseason game in five out of those six seasons and missed the tournament altogether in four of those campaigns.
Sunday’s showdown in Denver revives an old rivalry and could redefine the Chiefs’ 2025 season.
While they returned to contender status in 1996, Elway and company suffered a shocking home loss in the divisional round to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Following that game, many fans and analysts wondered if Elway would ever win a Super Bowl title, as he was now entering his late 30s. When Denver upset Kansas City in their building the following season, it propelled them to win consecutive titles before Elway retired.
Since Elway and the Broncos beat the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl XXXIII, both the Chiefs and Broncos went a long stretch without being true championship contenders. In the early 2000s, the Chiefs had some solid seasons thanks to a high-powered offensive attack led by quarterback Trent Green, running back Larry Johnson, and Hall of Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez. However, that era of Chiefs football was held back by a consistently porous defense, and they ultimately failed to win a single playoff game. Meanwhile, the Broncos had great difficulty replacing Elway, and while they were able to reach the playoffs on some occasions, they were never on the level of true contenders such as New England, Indianapolis, and Pittsburgh.
The closest the Chiefs-Broncos rivalry got to reaching the level of when Schottenheimer and Elway were leading their respective squads was in the early to mid-2010s, when Peyton Manning signed with the Broncos as a free agent and Andy Reid was hired as the Chiefs head coach. In November of 2013, a then-9-0 Chiefs team headed to Denver to take on an 8-1 Broncos team on Sunday Night Football. Manning was in the midst of one of the greatest quarterback seasons in league history, while the Chiefs were the surprise of the NFL, as they were undefeated just one season removed from a disastrous 2-14 campaign.
However, many felt that the Chiefs’ record was not indicative of the quality of team they were and that they were far beneath the Broncos’ level. This was reflected in the betting markets, as Denver opened as 8.5-point favorites. The Broncos ended up handing the Chiefs their first loss, winning 27-17. This result represented a shift for both teams, as the Broncos finished 13-3 and reached the Super Bowl while the Chiefs ended the season with an 11-5 record and were eliminated in the Wild Card round. While the Chiefs were a good team throughout this stretch, they were a clear step below the Broncos, who reached two Super Bowls within three years, winning one of them in 2015.
Denver’s victory over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50 was as good as it got for the franchise for nearly a decade, as they failed to reach the postseason from 2016 to 2023. In seven of those eight seasons, the Broncos finished with a losing record, with all of those campaigns occurring consecutively. When Denver clinched a playoff berth in the final week of the regular season last year, it snapped the second-longest playoff appearance drought in the NFL. However, this elation was short-lived, as they subsequently lost in blowout fashion to the Bills on Wild Card Weekend.
This challenging stretch for the Broncos coincided with the Chiefs becoming the dynasty of this era. Since Patrick Mahomes took over as the starter in 2018, Kansas City has reached the Super Bowl five times and has taken the Lombardi Trophy home on three of those occasions. In this stretch, the Broncos compiled a 48-69 record and were a dismal 1-12 against the Chiefs in games that Mahomes started.
The matchup between these two teams on Sunday afternoon represents a rebirth of a rivalry and, depending on the result, could signify a changing of the guard in the AFC West. The Broncos have won seven straight games and entered the week tied atop the AFC with New England and Indianapolis. While Denver’s offense leaves plenty to be desired in most instances, their defense is championship caliber, allowing just 17.3 points per game and racking up a league-leading 46 sacks across their first ten contests. They have far less margin for error, as a loss wouldn’t significantly hinder their chances of winning the division.
The Chiefs, however, are arguably playing their most important regular-season game of the Patrick Mahomes era on Sunday. Kansas City currently sits at 5-4 and outside of the playoff picture. With a win, the Chiefs would not only build momentum but also have a crucial road win over their division rival. However, a Chiefs loss would drop them to a .500 record and put their aspiration to capture a tenth consecutive division title on life support. This fact is amplified by the Broncos not being the only AFC West team the Chiefs have to worry about, as the Chargers currently sport a strong 7-3 mark and own a head-to-head win over Kansas City to open the season.
The juice of the Chiefs-Broncos rivalry is officially back, and that will be represented by the atmosphere in Denver on Sunday, as this is the most meaningful home game the Broncos have played since the 2015 AFC Championship. While many Chiefs fans harbor great disdain for the Broncos, their return to contender status is actually a positive development for the competitive nature of both teams. Rivalries bring out the best in every player and increase the importance of every matchup between these two teams for years to come.
The Chiefs have a golden opportunity to get a signature win against a red-hot division rival in an extremely hostile environment. However, a loss would be devastating for multiple reasons, as it would not only risk not winning the AFC West, but the possibility of missing the postseason altogether would only increase. This game tomorrow afternoon will inform many people what the 2025 Chiefs are made of.