Broncos have to play near-perfect vs. Chiefs

That hardly diminishes the importance of the game.

The Broncos are three games behind the Oakland Raiders and two games behind the Chiefs in the AFC West.

With the Miami Dolphins defeating the Buffalo Bills, 34-31 in an overtime thriller Saturday, the AFC’s two wild-card spots already have two teams with 10 wins.

Got all those scenarios straight?

“We have to win”. Michael Bennett and Cliff Avril coming off the edge, along with Bobby Wagner cleaning up whatever they may have missed, are part of what keeps offensive coordinators up at night. It’s no more intense than that.

“If we win these next two games, we are going to beat some really good teams, and we are going to be going into the playoffs hot”, Schofield said. Matter of fact, in the first game against the Chiefs, he threw for 368 yards and three touchdowns – a superb effort despite being harassed consistently and sacked five times. And this time, it truly is a must-win.

The Broncos should have a significantly better chance to prevail victorious on the road in Kansas City than they did against at home against New England. Denver only got outgained by a margin of 313-309, but lost the turnover battle 3-0.

“We probably won’t have any plays in for him this week”, Reid said with a laugh. “We have to win out”.

Now, with playoff implications for both teams on the line, tomorrow’s game has the potential to be a repeat of last month’s exciting matchup. The Chiefs were 2-4 against divisional opponents in 2013 and 3-3 the next year.

Since his massive showing against the Broncos on Sunday Night Football, Hill has improved tremendously, capping off his display of dominance last week by taking a hand-off 68 yards for a score to start the game against the Tennessee Titans in a game the Chiefs would go on to lose at the last second on a field goal by the Titans.

At tight end, the Broncos are down to second-year pro Jeff Heuerman and are considering signing one of a trio of rookies off their practice squad: Steven Scheu (Vanderbilt), Henry Krieger-Coble (Iowa) and Austin Traylor (Wisconsin).

Reid coaches the Chiefs.

I’ll take my 9-5 record picking with or against Denver and say …

LOCKER ROOM RIFF: The Broncos downplayed disharmony in their locker room this week, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.

Ward, Derby and Green have been in the National Football League concussion protocol this week after suffering head injuries in last Sunday’s 16-3 loss to the New England Patriots.

The Broncos previously played on Christmas Day in 1999 and 2004.

“He’s a beast right now”, Broncos coach Gary Kubiak said.

Defensively, things are quite a bit better. This game should come down to a field goal either way, so I’ll bet the hook and take the dog.

“That day it was like war it’s like we just had a big war on that field”, remembered Chiefs Hall of Fame linebacker Bobby Bell. It’s the last game on TV. I got caught up a little bit late; I didn’t get lined up the way I should have. The division is extremely competitive with a ton of big rivalries, none bigger than this (one against the Broncos).

Easier said than done, especially against one of the league’s top defensive units. Good luck getting much going through the air.

It is do or die for the Denver Broncos in Week 16. If Denver can stop KC from running, then they can cause problems.