NFL Finalizes Broncos' Week 18 Game vs. Chiefs

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The NFL has made official the date and time for the Denver Broncos' regular-season finale against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Per the team, the contest will kick off at 2:25 p.m. MT on Sunday, Jan. 5 at Empower Field at Mile High.
Our Week 18 matchup is set.#KCvsDEN will kick off at 2:25pm MT on Sunday, Jan. 5 on CBS.
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) December 30, 2024
📰 » https://t.co/eIAyN7FWG6 pic.twitter.com/7rXrYkGqgt
The 130th all-time meeting between the division rivals counts little to the 15-1 Chiefs, who've already secured homefield advantage in the AFC playoffs and are expected to rest most of their starters — including Patrick Mahomes — in Week 18.
But it means everything to the 9-7 Broncos, who'd lock up the final Wild Card spot with a victory over Kansas City's B-squad. (In the event of defeat, they can also clinch with a Miami Dolphins loss or tie and a Cincinnati Bengals loss or tie.)
This, after blowing two consecutive win-and-in opportunities against the Chargers and Bengals, both of which were on national television.
Perhaps with Sunday's game confined to regional eyeballs, Denver finally punches its postseason ticket.
"There’s pressure every week," head coach Sean Payton said following Saturday's overtime loss at Cincinnati. "This is what we do it for — meaningful games here. I think it's important that you embrace it, and it is exciting. There's nothing worse than playing games in the last part of the season where there's nothing at stake. So I think it's something we'll all be excited about.”
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Zack Kelberman is the Senior Editor for Mile High Huddle. He has covered the NFL for more than a decade and the Denver Broncos since 2016. He's also the co-host of the wildly popular Broncos show the Mile High Huddle Podcast.
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