Rookie Bo Nix set a franchise record by completing his first 18 passes and the Denver Broncos ended an eight-year playoff drought on Sunday with a 38-0 thrashing of the Kansas City Chiefs reserves
The Broncos (10-7) snapped a two-game losing streak and buried nearly a decade of futility and frustration by returning to the postseason party for the first time since they won Super Bowl 50 after the 2015 season.
Patrick Mahomes intense focus might be the secret to his success
Denver will visit Buffalo (13-4) in the wild-card round next weekend after handing the two-time defending Super Bowl champions, the Chiefs (15-2), their first shutout since Dec. 16, 2012.
Having already secured the AFC’s top seed and the only first-round bye in their quest for an unprecedented three-peat, Chiefs coach Andy Reid sat Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and a host of other starters.
Carson Wentz was the starting quarterback and it didn’t work out in his first extended action since Week 18 with the Rams last season. He completed 10 of 17 passes for 98 yards and was sacked four times.
Bo Nix feasted at Empower Field
Nix threw four touchdown passes, giving him 29 on the season, the second-most by a rookie in NFL history, behind only Justin Herbert’s 31 in 2020.
He finished with 26 of 29 passes for 321 yards, and his 18 consecutive completions were also the most in Broncos quarterback history. Nix connected with Marvin Mims twice, Courtland Sutton (five times for 98 yards) and Devaughn Vele.
A wild conclusion crowned an 18-play, 89-yard drive that lasted more than 11 minutes, and kept Wentz refreshing his boots on the sideline alongside Mahomes, who was wearing a white hoodie.
After Harrison Butker went wide to the left on a 51-yard field goal (his first miss in 18 attempts at Empower Field at Mile High), Wil Lutz gave Denver a 24-0 halftime lead by nailing a 33-yard field goal with three seconds remaining.
The Broncos made it 31-0 with Mims’ second touchdown catch late in the third quarter and Audric Estime scored from the 1-yard line in the fourth quarter.
The Chiefs will be rested and ready to go for a three-peat
The Chiefs – who lost their six-game winning streak – will not play again until January 18 or 19, meaning Mahomes, who last played on Christmas Day, and other stars who did not play in this game will have at least 24 days between games.
Kansas -which some claim lost on purpose- buried the hopes of Joe Burrow and company. The Bengals, who won their fifth straight game on Saturday night in Pittsburgh, needed Denver to lose to have a chance to sneak into the playoffs with a 9-8 record
