The Kansas City Chiefs’ playoff fate is already secured. After beating the Pittsburgh Steelers on Christmas Day, the reigning Super Bowl champions will have a first-round bye and home advantage in the postseason.
But that doesn’t mean they won’t have a huge say on the rest of the playoff picture in Week 18. And their game against the Broncos now has massive implications after Denver lost an overtime thriller to the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Broncos had the chance to clinch a playoff berth with a win or tie, only for Joe Burrow to find Tee Higgins for a walk-off touchdown. It means the Bengals’ hopes stay alive entering a Week 18 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. With Burrow playing lights-out, they have become the team to watch.
If Cincinnati beats the Steelers and the Chiefs beat the Broncos, then the Bengals will make the playoffs. But theories are already swirling regarding how the Chiefs will approach the situation knowing it could have implications for their own playoff path further down the line.
- Joe Burrow MVP statement made by Bengals coach Zac Taylor is hard to argue with
- Joe Burrow’s four-word outburst caught on camera after heroic Bengals performance
CBS Sports reporter Tracy Wolfson wrote on X: “Denver plays KC next week. Not only is there a good chance won’t play a lot of their starters, don’t you think they want Denver to win? Have to think they want no part of Cincy going forward!”.
Former NFL offensive lineman Geoff Schwartz said:” The thing I’m most interested in are the few moments against the Broncos where the Chiefs can decide to back off a bit. They will absolutely game plan to win. And play to win. But what if they are down 7 with under two minutes. Do they really try to score? Or just run the ball.”
The Chiefs resting starters already seemed likely regardless of the outcome of the Broncos-Bengals game. With their own situation secure, it makes little sense to risk injuries to star players, particularly with defensive tackle Chris Jones missing the Christmas Day game against the Steelers through injury and quarterback Patrick Mahomes recently struggling with an ankle injury.
However, the chance of the Bengals making the playoffs also adds an intriguing twist. The Bengals have a good record against the Chiefs in recent years, including a win in the playoffs at Arrowhead Stadium in the AFC Championship game in 2022.
Burrow led the Bengals to a dramatic win over Denver in overtime (
Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
While the Chiefs responded with a win in the playoffs the following year, Burrow has a good record against Mahomes, including a close contest which the Chiefs won 26-25 earlier this season.
As a result, it seems unlikely the Chiefs would be too excited by the prospect of meeting the red-hot Bengals, on a four-game win streak, in the postseason. While the Broncos defense has been excellent this season, the prospect of facing rookie quarterback Bo Nix in the postseason would seem much more appealing.
It’s easy to see why some are questioning how much the Chiefs will really want to beat the Broncos and potentially open the door for the Bengals, particularly considering a loss would not change their own situation at all. If the Broncos do win next weekend, then the Chiefs won’t have to worry about a potential showdown with Burrow’s Bengals further down the line.
Leave a Reply