Why No One's Expecting a Christmas Miracle from Chiefs

The Kansas City Chiefs are massive underdogs on Christmas Day. They're going into a divisional matchup with the Denver Broncos, and it doesn't appear that KC and its fans are in for a very merry holiday evening. The Broncos are favored by nearly two touchdowns at home for several reasons.

Denver is currently leading the AFC standings at 12-3 and just took a brutal 34-20 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. They should be looking to take out the frustration of that game against the reeling Chiefs. Kansas City just dropped its fourth contest in a row, has already been eliminated from playoff contention, and is down to its third-string quarterback, Chris Oladokun.

Kansas City Chiefs, NFL, Isiah Pacheco, Denver Broncos — Oct 12, 2023; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco (10) runs the ball during the second quarter against the Denver Broncos at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images | William Purnell-Imagn Images

The Chiefs stand no chance

Tanking isn't real in the NFL, at least not to the extent that it is in the NBA. While professional football actually guarantees the worst teams in the league the best draft positions, as opposed to the lottery system used in basketball, there's far less incentive to intentionally drop games.

The draft is deeper, and a singular talent can't dramatically change the fortunes of a franchise in the NFL the way they can in the NBA. Plus, football careers are shorter, less lucrative, and less secure. Even players on teams eliminated from playoff contention will want to perform to the best of their ability to meet their contract bonuses and help them secure another long-term deal in the future.

Watching Chris Oladokun at the podium. Regardless of how it came about, it’s undeniably cool to see a guy who’s busted his ass on the practice squad for years finally get the chance to stand in front of a room full of reporters amd cameras and talk about what he’s gonna do… pic.twitter.com/JRWkt8Lnyx
— Kurtis Seaboldt (@klseaboldt) December 23, 2025

And yet, the Kansas City Chiefs looked like they had absolutely no interest in competing in their 26-9 loss to the Tennessee Titans, arguably the worst team in the NFL this season. Plummeting from the pinnacle to rock bottom will do that to a roster's morale, as will losing not just their star quarterback to a torn ACL, but also their backup. Now, Chris Oladokun will have to find a way to rally his troops against the Denver Broncos, despite all of the negativity that's infected the KC locker room.

NFL.com's Ali Bhanpuri is predicting a 26-13 win for the Broncos: "We know the Broncos have shown a propensity for playing down to their opponents this season, sporting a 7.8-point average margin of victory and a negative turnover differential (-2) in nine games against sub-.500 teams this year. BUT, they've won all nine, including Round 1 with Kansas City in mid-November... if the AFC-leading Broncos can't capitalize against a reeling Chiefs squad and its QB3 (who's making his first NFL start) — on a short week — then they may have to rethink their title aspirations."

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