The Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos, 2:25 p.m. Sunday, KCNC-4.
For the record: The Chiefs beat the visiting Miami Dolphins 29-13 on Sunday to clinch their second straight AFC West title for the first time in franchise history. That goal appeared to be fading from view when Kansas City lost six of seven games during one stretch in the middle of the season, but they rebounded with three straight wins — all by at least nine points — to earn a home playoff game. A win over Denver would make the Chiefs 5-1 in the division in 2017.
Who’s hot: Tyreek Hill. The secondyear wide receiver has led the Chiefs in receiving in each of the last five games, a streak that includes two 100-yard performances. He had six catches for 109 yards in Sunday’s victory over the Dolphins. For the season, Hill has 75 catches for 1,183 yards and seven touchdowns, blossoming into a dynamic full-time receiver after being used in various ways as a rookie. The 23-year-old has also returned a punt for a TD.
Who’s not: Pass defense. It’s nit-picking, given how well Kansas City has played during its three-game winning streak, but the Chiefs remain vulnerable through the air. They have given up at least 286 passing yards in two of the last four games, including a 331-yard letdown in a perplexing loss to the Jets on Dec. 3. It’s an area the Chiefs must find a way to correct heading into the postseason if they are to avoid an early exit for the third straight season.
Key stat: Three consecutive appearances in the playoffs for Kansas City. It’s the first time since 1995 that the Chiefs have produced such a streak. However, they have failed to get past the divisional round since 1993, when they lost to the Buffalo Bills in the AFC championship game behind quarterback Joe Montana.
FYI: With their seeding in the postseason locked up, the Chiefs could turn to backups to play large portions of the game against the Broncos. That could include rookie quarterback Patrick Mahomes, a first-round pick from Texas Tech. Mahomes was impressive during the preseason, completing 63 percent of his passes with four touchdowns and zero interceptions in four appearances. Streaking: A victory Sunday would be the Chiefs’ fifth straight against the Broncos. That would be the longest winning streak for Kansas City in the series since it beat Denver six straight times from 1970 to 1973. The last victory for the Broncos over their AFC West rival came Sept. 17, 2015, at Kansas City, when Broncos QB Peyton Manning threw for 256 yards and three touchdowns.
Playerspeak: “No, it’s not.” — Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, via The Kansas City Star, on whether the team’s season could be considered a success if they don’t advance further than the divisional round of the playoffs