GLENDALE, Ariz. — With the exception of Jaylen Waddle suffering a chest injury late in Sunday’s 30-16 win, the Broncos’ Sunday went as well as possibly could have.
Their offense exploded for 377 yards, they had more plays of 40 or more yards from scrimmage than they did in their first six games combined, Bo Nix displayed his wheels with a 62-yard scramble for a touchdown that represented the longest run for any Broncos player since Week 1 of the 2021 season — and was the lengthiest jaunt ever for a quarterback in club history — and Jonah Coleman showed that he was all the way back from an ankle injury.
Oh, and the Kansas City Chiefs lost.
The Chiefs’ 20-3 defeat at Seattle knocked them from the ranks of the unbeaten and pulled the Broncos within a half-game of their AFC West rivals.
And with a win on Nov. 1 at Empower Field at Mile High, the Broncos can move into first place in the division at the eight-week mark of the campaign. It would also overturn the Chiefs’ tiebreaker advantage — at least for the moment.
Kansas City would be 3-1 in the division with a loss next week; the Broncos would be 2-1 in AFC West play. Each team still has most of the common opponents between the clubs ahead of them on the schedule, so, there’s plenty to be determined in terms of where things would stand if the Broncos earn their fourth-straight home win over Kansas City next week.
CONSEQUENCES OF A BRONCOS LOSS WOULD STILL BE DIRE
Now, with all that said, the leverage of the contest cannot be overstated.
A Broncos win brings all of the massive season goals into sharper focus. But a defeat would not only put the Chiefs two games up in the loss column, but would guarantee the Chiefs win a potential two-way tiebreaker. Denver would trail by 1.5 games in the standings; effectively it would be 2.5 games thanks to the head-to-head tiebreaker Kansas City would have.
And given the importance of a division title towards a team’s Super Bowl chances — starting with the playoff-opening home game — one could say that the Broncos’ realistic Super Bowl hopes might rest on next Sunday.
Without a win, they’ll need plenty of help.
But beat the Chiefs next Sunday, and the Broncos are on the course for which they aimed when training camp began — even after the offense’s sluggish start to the season.
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