Peyton Manning fell just short of rewriting the record books last weekend in Indianapolis, finishing the game 3 yards shy of surpassing Brett Favre for the most passing yards in NFL history and still tied with Favre for the most wins all-time by a quarterback. He returns to Denver on Sunday to face the Kansas City Chiefs with a chance to make history in front of his hometown fans.
Chiefs vs. Broncos 2015 live stream: Time, TV schedule and how to watch online
Peyton Manning has never lost to the Chiefs in a Broncos uniform.
The Denver Broncos' perfect season came to a screeching halt in a loss to the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. Their top-ranked defense finally looked human against Indy, allowing season-highs in points (27), total yards (365) and first downs (27). They also had no takeaways for the second straight game after recording a league-best 17 turnovers through the first six weeks of the season. Even after their unexpected defensive meltdown, the Broncos boast the NFL's best scoring defense, total defense and pass defense.
Another concern for the Broncos coming out of Sunday’s loss was their struggles running the ball. If they are going to have an offense capable of winning games when the defense slips up, they need to find more consistency in the run game to take the pressure off Manning. Denver rushed for a season-worst 35 yards on 14 carries against the Colts, the fifth time in eight games it rushed for fewer than 70 yards.
Despite dropping to 7-1 on the season, the Broncos are still on track to win their fifth straight AFC West title. Less certain is whether they'll earn a first-round bye in the playoffs. Per Football Outsiders' Playoff Odds, the most likely result is that they end up with the No. 3 seed and would host a game on the postseason's opening weekend. The good news, though, is that they essentially control their own destiny for one of the top-2 seeds. Their remaining slate includes home games against the AFC's two unbeaten teams: the New England Patriots in Week 12 and the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 16.
Of more immediate concern for Denver is avoiding a second straight loss on Sunday in a key divisional matchup against the Chiefs. That shouldn’t be too much trouble given the Broncos’ recent domination of the rivalry. Denver is 7-0 against Kansas City with Manning under center (since 2012) and each of the seven wins have been by at least a touchdown.
The Chiefs looked like they were on track for the top pick in the draft a couple weeks ago after five straight losses dropped them to 1-5 in mid-October. They’ve rebounded with back-to-back wins, giving them a glimmer of hope to reach the postseason. Football Outsiders has them with a roughly 1-in-5 shot of making the playoffs right now, but they can become real contenders with a victory on Sunday.
The Chiefs would still be under .500 even if they win Sunday, but they don't face another team with a winning record the rest of the season and have three games against the two teams directly ahead of them in the wild card race (Oakland Raiders and Buffalo Bills). They also own the head-to-head tiebreaker with the team holding the current sixth seed, having beaten the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 7. While Sunday's game isn't a make-or-break situation, the Chiefs have little margin for error if they want to be playing meaningful football in January.
How to Watch
When: 4:25 p.m. ET
Where: Sports Authority Field at Mile High Stadium, Denver
TV: CBS
Announcers: Greg Gumbel, Trent Green, Jamie Erdahl
Online: NFL Game Pass
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