1. Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs have won nine straight games, and if they take care of business at home against the Raiders in Week 17, they’ll enter the postseason on a 10-game win streak; only the Panthers will have had a longer streak this season.
And sure, the Chiefs best win during that stretch was probably the one they had against the Broncos (when Peyton Manning self-combusted on live television), but 10 wins is 10 wins. The Patriots, Panthers and Cardinals (if they beat Seattle on Sunday) are the only other teams with a 10-win streak this season, and they’re all considered Super Bowl favorites.
And in the Chiefs’ defense, while they haven’t exactly faced a murderers’ row, they’ve taken care of business, beating their opponents by an average of 16 points per game.
The scary thing about the Chiefs is that they’re method to winning is the same one the Broncos are trying to master; they’re just doing it much, much more effectively and consistently.
Like the Broncos, the Chiefs are winning with a stifling defense and an offense that protects the ball, controls the clock and efficiently works their way down the field. My worry is that if the Broncos end up facing the Chiefs in the postseason, they’ll just be looking at a more attractive and clean-cut version of themselves.
HOW THEY MEET: (1) Broncos lose, Chiefs lose, Bengals win and Jets win, giving Denver the No. 3 seed and the Chiefs the No. 6 seed; (2) Broncos win and Patriots lose, giving Denver the No. 1 seed, and the Chiefs (5th seed) and Bengals win in the Wild Card Round; (3) Broncos win and Patriots lose, giving Denver the No. 1 seed, and the Chiefs (6th seed) beat the Bengals in the Wild Card Round; (4) Broncos win and Patriots win, giving Denver the No. 2 seed, and the Chiefs (5th seed) and six seed win in Wild Card Round.
