Locked On Broncos - Daily Podcast On The Denver Broncos - QUEST: Denver Broncos FIRST STEP to AFC West Crown is vs. Kansas City Chiefs

Starting point is 00:00:00 Chiefs Broncos on Christmas Day. Lots to talk about the Broncos looking for the top spot in the AFC today on our crossover episode. You are locked on NFL crossover. Part of the Locked on podcast network. Your team every day. And welcome back to another episode of Locked on Chiefs and Locked on Broncos. We are part of the Locked on podcast network, your team every single day. Now the number one podcast network in the United States.

Starting point is 00:00:35 We do truly appreciate that. Thank you so much. Today's episode was Crossover Thursdays presented by Price Picks. Download the Price Picks app today and use Code Locked on NFL to get $50 in lineups. After you play your first $5 lineup, a lot to talk about. This is a very weird position for Kansas City, and it's all flipped to the Broncos this year. I'm going to get into that. Keys to win a little bit later talking about some of the key matchups in the next segment.

Starting point is 00:01:00 But we're going to be talking with Cody. We're talking about the Broncos looking for the number one spot. Cody, I will let you go ahead and start on that conversation at this point. Yeah, I'd say the biggest storyline for Denver is at the AFC West and the number one seed are kind of within reach here in the next two weeks for this Broncos team. Now, obviously they can't clinch the AFC West directly with a win on Thursday night, but they went on Thursday night and somehow the Charters lose to the Houston Texans, but that vaunted pass rush, that's going to be in LA. Then Denver would lock up the AFC West this weekend, but right now, I mean, you can't count your chickens before they hatch. Well, you mentioned it a little weird for Kansas City. It's been a long time.

Starting point is 00:01:38 Kansas City has been running the division, really, since Peyton Manning retired. And now all of a sudden, the Broncos kind of been knocking on the door a little bit. And this is the year where it's not going to be Kansas City's division. And I imagine it's for Chiefs fans, it's been an unfamiliar feeling for them, certainly for you and Ryan, as you guys have been covering the team. And crazy to see what has happened. I know so much for Kansas City. Before Mahomes' injury, they hadn't been playing.

Starting point is 00:02:05 playing their best, but they were still competitive, right? Every game was kind of close. The story was that they just couldn't find a way to win these one score games. And so very interesting positions that these teams have been in. It's almost kind of like a freaky Friday where the roles reversed. Where last year was the Broncos who couldn't win these one score games. And now they're winning those one score games and it happened with the chiefs. It was the inverse of all that.

Starting point is 00:02:24 So definitely a weird spot here. And I mean, obviously, Chris, very interesting matchup. I think before this season, we talked about this Christmas Day game that we're going to be seeing here in the next, obviously, in the next. obviously in the next handful of hours, I think the biggest thought is that, hey, we thought that this is going to be Mahomes versus Knicks. There's going to be big time AFC West implications.

Starting point is 00:02:42 There are, but only for Denver in this situation. Yeah, and I think that's a fantastic point on your point, on your side. Like you look at it, and from the Chiefs perspective, there's really nothing to play for in this game. You're literally, you're eliminated from the playoffs. You're playing for pride if you want to try to win. And you talk about how crazy it is that, you know, the flip of what it was last year,

Starting point is 00:03:04 taking a step further for the NFL in general, this will be the first year and I think 35, maybe even more than that that you haven't had Manning, Brady, or Mahomes in the playoffs. Just from an NFL perspective, that's a little different. And I'm not trying to put them in the same category

Starting point is 00:03:19 as those two quarterbacks, but you look at the run that those three quarterbacks had and to have a completely new playoff paradigm this year is going to be interesting from that perspective. From the chief side of things, the biggest storyline is just, just looking, you know, to try to finish the year strong.

Starting point is 00:03:35 It's just a question, can they find a way to try to make this a game with Denver and maybe find a way to win? I think that's a little bit of a stretch just based on the fact that you're down to your fifth and sixth offensive tackle. You're starting your third string quarterback at this point, a guy that hasn't really taken very many NFL snaps, and this will be his first NFL start. It's going to be an interesting game, and Broncos have everything to play for, which is the only, which is one of the only reasons why I would think that maybe Kansas City has a chance

Starting point is 00:04:07 because the Broncos are going to feel pressure to an extent chasing the first seat and chasing the AFC West. Yeah, I'm very curious to see how Denver responds, especially coming off of a tough home loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars last week where they lost 34 to 20. They didn't play their best brand of football. And now, you know, a little bit more pressure because really last week, if Denver would have won, they would have really kind of been in a position to where clinching the AFC West would have been a lot easier for them. The number one seed would have been a little bit more attainable. The reality for Denver is simple.

Starting point is 00:04:36 You want to win the AFC West and you want to be the top seed. You win this game and you win the next game against the chargers in week 18. And obviously, Sunday's game that they have against the Texas might have, might change the circumstances next week, ultimately. But that is the goal here for the Broncos is to go out there, win the AFC West, you know, talking to guys in the locker room this week. Chris, I'll say, like, even then, they're like, they still have some all pro guys that are going to be in this game that are going to be playing.

Starting point is 00:05:00 So just because they don't have Mahomes, even though things are going to look different without my homes, you can't overlook anybody. And certainly the Broncos aren't doing that. We heard from Nick Benito, Pat Sartan and those guys. Bo Nix even said the same thing. And I think the craziest thing is the short weeks, Chris. You never know what happens in a short week turnaround with these two teams. I think the challenge.

Starting point is 00:05:21 Travel holiday too. Yeah, that, not to mention, you know, both teams are banged up a little bit. The Broncos coming into this game. They're banged up. They're not going to have Drey Greenlaw in this game. They're not going to have tight-in Nate Adkins. They're not going to have starting center, Luke Wattenberg, more than likely. So, I mean, it's not as significant as the sense of what Kansas City is faced.

Starting point is 00:05:39 Because I looked at Kansas City's injured report this week. And my goodness, you know, probably no Rishi Rice, probably no Thornton, probably no McDuffie, Watson. I mean, just the list goes on and on. And you mentioned all the changes on the offensive line. This is definitely going to be an interesting game from that standpoint of like, hey, it's a short week. What can happen? I mean, I think that's the mystery and the beauty of the NFL is this year.

Starting point is 00:05:59 there's been that parody where it doesn't matter how good a record a team has or how bad a record of another team is, sometimes the games have been close. And I'm curious to see how the Broncos come out. I wanted to ask you something too because I think this is a little bit of a legacy curiosity thing at this point. You know, obviously this is the last home game of the year for Kansas City and maybe some potential rumblinks. Maybe it could be Travis Kelsey's last year. Do you think that this is Kelsey's last season and do you think, you know, there's a little bit more motivation and, and maybe something a little more at stake for him in this game.

Starting point is 00:06:31 Obviously, it's going to be harder. We know if Patrick Mahomes throwing you the football, but definitely something I think Broncos fans have been wondering about. Well, and I think not to take away from Kelsey, but the reality is when you take away Taekwon Thornton, when you take away Rishi Rice, when you take away some of their other weapons, the emphasis on him goes way up.

Starting point is 00:06:49 And so I think that makes this a little bit harder for him as well. I do think that it could be his last game. He has pushed it aside, from multiple different questions. I think that it's going to be a question of, does he want to continue playing? Does he want to have another year with Patrick Mahomes? And I understand this isn't how he wanted to go out.

Starting point is 00:07:10 And that's obvious. Like no player would want to go out this way. You would want to go out on top or at least get back to the playoffs where you're fighting for something at the very end of the season. They can't do that this year. And for Kelsey, it's one of those things where his last catch is not going to be coming from Patrick.

Starting point is 00:07:28 Mahomes at this point. So how does that play into all of that when you start talking about the relationship those two have? But the other part of the reality is even if you want to try to focus on football, the question for Kelsey is his life after football. He's getting married this summer. How much would that affect his training and his ability to try to get ready for next season if he does want to play? And the other big thing that you don't know is if he does try to come back, is Patrick Mahomes going to be back? Like, we don't know that. would assume that he could be available for at some point next year, assuming nothing goes wrong with his rehab. But that's a big question right now too. Yeah. And look, I think those are very valid

Starting point is 00:08:09 points too. And I look at it from this standpoint as a former athlete and a competitor. It says, you know, for a guy like Kelsey, I feel like it would be drastically different if he hadn't won a Super Bowl, right? And they're trying to chase that ring. Very reminiscent to like John Elway in 1997 trying to chase that ring. They finally get it. And he's like, you know what? I got, I got one more in me. and they do it again and back to back years. And then it was to the point. He was like, all right, I've done it. I've reached the mountain top.

Starting point is 00:08:34 Kelsey has reached the mountain top. He's the best tight end in NFL history, in my opinion, what he's, how versatile he is. He's surpassed so many really great tight ends in this game, the Shannon Sharps, the Rob Gruncowski's, you name it, Tony Gonzalez's of the world. So I think regardless, Kelsey's legacy is going to be there. I'm very curious to see whether or not he decides to hang it up. And, you know, we'll see. And look, I think the NFL, as much as, as.

Starting point is 00:08:58 Broncos fans dislike Patrick Mohns because of how good he is and how much he has owned the AFC West and certainly Denver over the last handful of years. I think the AFC West, I think the NFL is certainly better with those guys healthy and those guys being around. It's hard to imagine. But also I think Broncos fans are kind of thinking like, hey, this could be the end of an era, which would certainly be interesting to the dynamic of the league. I don't think it's the end of the era.

Starting point is 00:09:20 I think it's going to be a restart in 2026, maybe 2027. We'll see how that turns out. The one thing left I will say on Travis Kelsey is I agree. I think he's probably the best tied in NFL history. The only thing he really has left to chase is yardage when it comes to tone against all. But the question is, could you even get there if he came back for another season? I mean, he's got a ways to go. It's tough.

Starting point is 00:09:43 I don't know what he's going to do. I'll be very curious to see what we find out in the coming months on that end. When we get back, we're going to talk about some of the key matchups in this game for the Chiefs in Broncos on Thursday night football, on Christmas right after this. Today's crossover Thursday is brought to you by friends over there at prize picks and the holiday season. It's one of the best time for sports. You got big bowl games going on.

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Starting point is 00:11:03 We start looking at this game. We start looking at the matchups. And when you start looking at how this is going to play out, the big ones for me is the chief offensive line versus the Broncos defensive line, I think that that's going to be a huge key in this game. But you have another one that I think is interesting as well. Yeah, look, RJ Harvey, Harvey, the Broncos rookie running back. He's got 11 touchdown so far. together on the year. He's been a fun, exciting player to watch. And obviously, after the injury to J.K. Dobbins that the Broncos had early on in the season, RJ Harvey's had his shoulder on a little bit more of the load in responsibility. But he's becoming his dynamic weapon for Sean Payton, not only as

Starting point is 00:11:41 a rusher, but as a guy that they rely on out of the backfield, they can isolate him in one-on-on matchups. So it wouldn't be a surprise to me if Sean Payton tries to get some matchups early on against some of the chiefs linebackers in certain situations, maybe trying to capitalize on the aggressiveness of Steve Spagnolo to try to burn them for a little bit of a big play. RJ Harvey is going to be a very, very big key, in my opinion for the Broncos this week, especially on a short week. You don't want to go into Arrowhead and you don't want to just throw the ball 40 times. Bo can obviously throw the ball 40 plus times.

Starting point is 00:12:11 I mean, he can do that. But I think the key for Denver winning this game is really going to start with taking advantage of the matchup situations and finding a way to run the football against the chiefs, which they didn't have too much success with last time when they faced off right before the by week the Denver had. I think that was in week 11 here. But the story with the Chiefs now is a little bit different. They're a little more banged up as is. This is an opportunity for the Broncos to take advantage. But that matchup will be interesting because Denver, as I mentioned earlier, probably going to be down without their starting center in this game, Luke

Starting point is 00:12:41 Wattonberg, who just got a contract extension. He's got a shoulder injury. And we may see Alex Forsyth, who started last year in that game of Arrowhead where Denver, unfortunately, suffered that heartbreaking field goal block at the end. So for me, RJ Harvey against his chief's defensive line and even Jalil McLaugh in the run game is going to be a matchup. I've got my eye on here. Now, for you on the chief side with how banged up Kansas City is, we don't know exactly who is officially in or out just yet. But what matchup do you have your eye on in this game specifically from a chief's angle? Well, really quick on the Harvey angle, I think it's going to be interesting because normally a December game in Arrowhead,

Starting point is 00:13:17 you would think that running the ball is going to be even more important because it's probably going to be cold out and there could be snow. that's not going to be the case on Christmas Day. It's going to be unseasonably warm. And I'm not saying it's going to be 60 or 70 degrees, but it's going to be warmer than you would expect for a December game in Arrowhead. So I do think that the running game is still going to be important. When I look at this game, though, we kind of talked about this before the show started. It's a matter of Kansas State's playing their fifth and six offensive alignment,

Starting point is 00:13:43 or at least they did last week, sorry, fifth and sixth offensive tackle last week. Now, it looks like maybe they'll get Jalen Moore back. So I would assume, and obviously we'll see if I'm right on this or not, but I would assume that you're going to have Jalen Moore as your right tackle, and Esa Poli is still going to be your left tackle. We don't know that yet. It's a question, one, does Jaylemore play? And two, if he does play,

Starting point is 00:14:08 does Kansas City want to try to see him at the left side and go with Chu Godrick again at right tackle or try to play polo at right tackle? I'm going to be curious about that. Regardless, you're going up against one of the best defensive lines in football against the Denver Broncos, and you have a fearsome pastures that you're going to be facing, a team that has put up a ton of sacks. And you've got two guys,

Starting point is 00:14:31 if we're looking at what they had last week, you have two guys that are essentially rookies playing that have almost no NFL snaps going up against one of the best defensive groups in the NFL. That is not a matchup that I am excited about. And I will say the one thing that I think is actually kind of nice, and I'm sorry Chris Oledoken, I'm glad Mahomes isn't going to be back there

Starting point is 00:14:54 because you're looking at a very fierce pass rush with those two as your tackles. Yeah, and I imagine Debra's going to try to maybe take advantage to that a little bit, especially with Nick Benito, Jonathan Cooper. I mean, last week against Trevor Lawrence, they had five sacks. And that put them at 63 sacks on the season, which obviously leads the NFL,

Starting point is 00:15:11 but once again, ties a franchise record for sacks in a season by a Broncos defense that they originally set last week, I mean, last season, which is interesting because you still have two games left. Let's say they're able to get after the backup quarterback here. I think Denver is going to try to chase a little bit. That Chicago Bears record. Look, you're at 63. The record was 72.

Starting point is 00:15:33 In a game like this with the circumstances you just outlined against these offensive tackles and a young, inexperienced quarterback, that might be the recipe for a five-plus sack game here for Denver. And then obviously they face off against Justin Herbert next week where that offensive line is a little bit of a sieve. But Herbert still find a way to play some really good football. right now despite that. So I think that's going to be something to watch.

Starting point is 00:15:53 But really, it hasn't been Nick Benito, Jonathan Cooper, getting home as of late on quarterbacks. It's really been guys like Zach Allen. It's been Malcolm Roach. It's been John Franklin Myers, who now has seven and a half sacks on the season himself. This defense is just, they have everybody getting to the quarterback. Heck, Riley Moss even had a sack last week against Trevor Lawrence. So I am very curious to see if this week is more of a, the Broncos trying to just get

Starting point is 00:16:19 back to, you know, their own things, running their own system a little bit. You don't get as much time to prepare for an opponent on a short week turnaround because you don't get the full speed practice reps because these guys, and on the chief side, too, they're just trying to get their bodies right, which usually for most guys, if you ask them, they say usually around kickoff on Thursday, that's when our bodies typically feel like we're just getting back to normal. The week is just trying to recover as best as you can. Well, and I will say this.

Starting point is 00:16:43 I don't think in this sense, playing on Thursday night doesn't really. hurt the teams as much because the Broncos and the chiefs know each other. So they already have a pretty good feel for who these teams are, who you're going to be going up against. The one thing I will say is I do expect that the chiefs are going to give up sacks. I don't know if it's going to be five plus. It could be seven. We'll see on Thursday night because this offensive line, I think, is going to struggle. But the nice thing that they do have is you get Trace Smith back. He's able to go. He's able to play. So now you at least have Kingsley Suamataia, who's strong. struggled last week.

Starting point is 00:17:21 But you at least have him, you have Creed Humphrey and you have Trace Smith. So you have your starters there. It's just the guys on the outside. But we talk about offensive and defensive line, but part of it goes back to also who your playmakers are. The fact that you're not going to have Taekwon Thornton, the fact that you're not going to have Rishie Rice, you have a guy that in Xavier Worthy who's banged up all season,

Starting point is 00:17:44 is that going to affect how long that the QB has to try to hold the ball, to get it out and be successful, that could play into how many sacks the Broncos are going to get because of covered sacks. Yeah. And also, you know, the Broncos on the back end of the defense, too, they lost Brandon Jones. He went on IR. So they got PJ lock in there. And last week against the Jaguars, Denver had a lot of miscommunication issues in the secondary, which I think is to be expected when you change, you know, who you have on the back end there.

Starting point is 00:18:12 He and Talano, Hufanga, they used to be able to play off each other really well. So now when you have that changing of PJ coming in and PJ's got stuff. starting experiencing the NFL. He started, obviously, last season for Denver at safety. It's just that adjustment period there. So I'm very curious to see if they show up some of those issues that they have. Look, Xavier Worthy, we know the speed presence and the threat that he certainly possesses here. I imagine we'll see Jaude Baron against Travis Kelsey a little bit more. He's kind of been that tight end cover guy and has done a really good job in coverage. He had a pick six against the chiefs that got wiped off the board because of an illegal contact call on Riley Moss on the other

Starting point is 00:18:46 side of the field there. So I imagine they want to try to maybe get that matchup going here. I know obviously Noah Gray is a factor for them and obviously the rotation. And then on top of that, you know, Juju Smith-Schuster and these other guys. This is why I always say like in this week specifically, they still have guys. Like even if they're on their third string quarterback, you never know what can happen in the NFL. It's been crazy this year.

Starting point is 00:19:08 And so for me, it's like the line, according to our friends over there, a Fandu, says 13 and a half point underdogs, the chiefs are at home. that's why I don't like it though. Like it's just one of those things you just never know what can happen. And obviously, you know, Chris, the backup third string quarterback, I don't want to mispronounce his name. It's Ola Doken. Ola Doken this week said, you know, we want to try to play spoils.

Starting point is 00:19:32 So look, there's a chip on the shoulder that this chief's team has because, hey, they've been punched in the mouth a little bit. They want to go out fighting. Yeah, no, absolutely. And that's exactly what you want to hear from the players. You want to hear that they want to go out. They want to try their best. They want to try to get a win.

Starting point is 00:19:46 And they want to try to upset the Broncos. I mean, that's really the reality is they want to, you know, spoil the Broncos fun on Christmas. And I, you know, can't say, blame them on that one. I mean, that's exactly what you want from a divisional game is you want that opportunity to do that. Obviously, you wish you're playing for more or they're not at this point. But we're going to get into the keys to the victory for each of these teams right after this.

Starting point is 00:20:12 Cody, I'll let you go ahead and get started. Where do you see the keys for victory for? for the Broncos in this one. Yeah, let's start off on the offensive side here for Denver. I think a key is just run past balance. You know, I think the Broncos, especially if they're going to try to make a little bit of a deep run in the playoffs, the run game has to be a little bit more effective and present. It's hard to win in the NFL when you don't have a consistent enough run game.

Starting point is 00:20:34 And there's been times with the Broncos, they've gotten it going. Sometimes they get away from it. Sometimes they get a little too pass happy in the playoffs. That's where having a run game is going to matter because you know you have a defense. It's very capable of being good. And I'd say since coming out of the by week, the Broncos defense hasn't played up to that standard, so to speak. So they're trying to get back to that form. You want to be playing your best football by the time January comes around.

Starting point is 00:20:56 And because really, a room for error is very, very small. One loss, you're out. That's it. Lou, you know, it's a winner go home at that point here. So for me, it's an emphasis on trying to get the run game going, but also being a little bit more balanced. You don't want RJ Harvey to sustain all of the contact that necessarily, you know, he's going to get in between the tackles because of how valuable his role is. So I think that's where guys like Jolil McLaughlin, maybe even fullback runs with Adam Prentice,

Starting point is 00:21:19 might be something that they try to get going a little bit here. Certainly they're missing J.K. Dobbins because I feel like if he was healthy, he and RJ Harvey would be feasting right now, I think in terms of the game because he was playing really well before his injury that he suffered against the Raiders on Thursday night football back in week 10, right before they played obviously Kansas City. So for me, the run game is going to be key here for the Broncos. I think they got the wide receivers and skill players

Starting point is 00:21:44 that you're going to see Bownex spread the football out a little bit, but it's just about protecting the football, being able to sustain it and convert on third down. Denver struggled on third down last week against the Jaguars. And I know how aggressive Steve Spagnolo is. There's times where he'll send, you know, a double linebacker blitz and EA gap against, you know, a quarterback on third down.

Starting point is 00:22:03 That's exactly what he did against the Broncos earlier in the season. It's what happened last year at Arrowhead when Denver faced off against them in that one thrilling game that we were all treated to. So those things are going to obviously remain the same defensively. I think it's just you've got to create havoc on the quarterback. You've got to be able to shut down the run there. Look, with Isaiah Pacheco, Kareem Hunt, you've got to shut those guys down a little bit because those guys are proven.

Starting point is 00:22:25 They're capable. And if they start rattling off some big runs, you don't necessarily need your quarterback to go out there and make these plays. Sean Payton says it himself, one of the biggest ways you can alleviate pressure on a young quarterback, have a good run game and have a defense that's aggressive and flies around. I think the chiefs, despite the injuries that they have and maybe the guys who aren't going playing this game. Steve Spagnola's identity is still the same. It's to be aggressive to take those calculated risks. So I guarantee you that's going to be something that we see here for this

Starting point is 00:22:52 Chief's approach on the offensive side against Denver is trying to take all the pressure off of your quarterback because, hey, against this defense, that's a tough situation for a young and inexperienced guy to be in. To me, I think that's going to be key. For the Chief's side, offensively, I mean, Chris, what is the biggest key to victory considering all the circumstances here? The biggest key to victory for me for offensively is they need to be able to run the ball and they need to be able to put their team in a position to be successful. And what I mean by that is they need to know what Oledokin is going to be good at and they need to be using that early on in the game and get him established,

Starting point is 00:23:26 get him feeling comfortable if they can. Obviously, having a good offensive line, having guys that are going to protect the quarterback is going to help the situation. But to me, it's a matter of can you go out and can you be successful and first and second down running the ball some. The Chief's offense, generally speaking, has been 70 to 80% pass. That's not going to be successful in this game. You can pass the ball, maybe 50% and maybe have a chance at success.

Starting point is 00:23:56 But in this game with this offensive line and this QB situation where you have a guy that is stepping in for his first start against one of the best defenses in the NFL right now that likes to get after the quarterback, having him go out there and throw the ball 45 times is not something you want to do. So to me, it's a matter of, can you establish the run? Can you get to a point where instead of having a second and 10 or a third and 10 or third and eight, you're at third and three, third and four?

Starting point is 00:24:26 Then those become downs you can be successful on a lot easier, and it should help them in that regard. Obviously, the other one for the off of the side is control the ball. Don't throw picks. if you see two or three picks in this game, it's going to go from what I think is probably going to be lopsided anyway to extremely lopsided very quickly. So to me, I think that's the big keys on offense.

Starting point is 00:24:51 When you flip it over the other side on the defensive side, it's a question of can your young corners that you're going to be playing stand up against who they're going to be going against. I mean, you have two guys in Noel Williams and Kevin Knowles who are likely going to be starting in this game. how are they going to face off against the Broncos wide receivers? How are they going to face off against Bo Nix and Sean Payton, who you know is going to try to attack them and get them out of sorts?

Starting point is 00:25:19 And while I agree with you, Spagnola is going to be his normal self and he's going to send blitzes from different places and he's going to be aggressive at different times, he also has to be a little careful because he does have young guys. So you're not going to have the entirety of your defense and you're not going to feel like you can send, you know, send the house at different times because do you question whether or not somebody's going to follow their responsibility and be in the right spot that is going to be a big key in this

Starting point is 00:25:45 as well for Kansas City yeah I'm very curious to see how he does it right because sometimes baptism by fire could be a good thing for player development sometimes it could also hurt player development in that regard I I figured since you know we're going through our keys to victory maybe we do something in the Christmas spirit here Chris it may be different for you guys considering the circumstances But if we had to look at every team and say, all the Chiefs want for Christmas is what? Based on this game, what is it that the Chiefs want for Christmas? What are the Chiefs want for Christmas?

Starting point is 00:26:17 They want to spoil the Broncos chance at getting the number one seed and the AFC West Crown. That's what the Chiefs want. What I want for Christmas for the Chiefs is to get it out of this healthy and to play some of the guys that they need to find out what they have for 2026. play your young guys. Yes, I understand you want to go out and try to win, but get an idea of what you have to build on for 2026. I think that's a good plan too, especially you don't want to suffer a major injury to another key player this late in the season because then it changes the timeline of everything. Obviously, that the team might face it. I agree with that. You know, for all the Broncos want for Christmas, they want to win.

Starting point is 00:26:55 They want to get one step closer to accomplishing the two goals they set before training camp. The first one was win the AFC West. Second one is clinch the highest seed. Now, obviously, that can't take place this week. I mean, it could, but the dominole of that would mean that the Broncos would have to win, the Chargers would have to lose, the Patriots have to lose their tie. And same thing with the Buffalo Bills. Expecting that type of domino to fall is probably going to be a little unlikely considering who some of those teams are facing.

Starting point is 00:27:19 Maybe the bills might be tested a little bit against the Philadelphia Eagles. I think the Charters would be tested a bit by the Texans. But I don't think anybody in the world is expecting New York Jets to beat the New England Patriots at this point, especially in this type of game where, you know, the guy that's starting a quarterback, Cook doesn't have a lot of experience and probably isn't going to get a lot of experience overall in his career. So that right there would set up obviously high stakes for the Broncos in week 18 against the Chargers where a win would clinch the number one seed in the NFL playoffs. But first off, can't overlook Kansas City. They've got to take care of business.

Starting point is 00:27:48 So that's something that they're probably going to want to do. And I agree. Maybe coming out of this game healthy will be important, especially with the playoffs being so close here. But once again, I think that this is a very important game for Denver, considering where they're at, the goals that they have, they can't afford a loss because. they just lost to Jacksonville. They'd follow the same record because Jacksonville won, they would then leapfrog them in the standings, which could put them up

Starting point is 00:28:11 to the one seat, potentially to the two seat. So Denver's got to really take care of business here. Yeah, a huge loss by the Broncos last week. It really kind of surprised me on that one and not going to lie. But that is going to be it for us today. Thank you all for listening. We do appreciate it. We will be covering this game for you

Starting point is 00:28:26 right after in the post game show. Cody, it's been pleasure. And I would love to say good luck. I don't know that I would really mean it, but at least. How about happy health for both these teams in this game? Amen. Merry Christmas to you and yours, and hopefully just an entertaining game where everyone comes out of the healthy.

Starting point is 00:28:43 Yep, I have a thousand percent agree with you on that. Thank you all for listening today, and that is going to be it for us today. Happy holidays, and we will talk to you tomorrow.

Locked On Broncos - Daily Podcast On The Denver Broncos - QUEST: Denver Broncos FIRST STEP to AFC West Crown is vs. Kansas City Chiefs

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