CHIEFS KEEP
AFC West title hopes alive.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs turned to Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill to roll past the Denver Broncos 33-10 on Sunday night and keep their AFC West title hopes alive.
The Chiefs were already assured of a wild card when Pittsburgh beat Baltimore earlier in the day. But a victory next weekend in San Diego coupled with an Oakland loss in Denver would give the Chiefs their first division title since 2010, not to mention a first-round bye and home playoff game.
Kelce had 11 catches for 160 yards and a touchdown, and Hill took a handoff 70 yards for another score, as the Chiefs (11-4) beat the Broncos (8-7) for the third consecutive time and eliminated the Super Bowl champions from postseason contention.
Kansas City punctuated the victory in style when 346-pound defensive tackle Dontari Poe, lined up at quarterback, threw a jump pass to Demetrius Harris (Jacksonville) with just under two minutes left.
Meanwhile, the Broncos trudged through another inept offensive performance.
Trevor Siemian was 17 of 43 for 183 yards and a game-ending interception, and the only touchdown drive he led came after an interception gave him the ball at the Kansas City 6. Justin Forsett scored two plays later.
The lackluster performance came one week after a dismal showing in a 16-3 loss to New England led to a locker room shouting match between the Denver offense and defense. The Broncos downplayed any kind of disharmony this week , but their performance on a sloppy, soggy Christmas night at Arrowhead Stadium only seemed to underscore the rift during a most frustrating of seasons.
Kansas City took control of the prime-time matchup from the opening minutes.
Alex Smith capped a 77yard touchdown march with a 10-yard keeper in the first quarter, and Hill out-ran the banged-up Broncos a few minutes later to give the Chiefs a 14-0 lead.
It was the fourth touch- down scored by Hill against the Broncos this season.
Forsett’s touchdown gave the Broncos fleeting hope, but it was dashed moments later. Kelce took a screen pass and followed perfectly executed blocking for an 80-yard touchdown and a 21-7 lead.
The Chiefs’ defense took care of the rest to make it a festive night for their fans.