KANSAS CITY, Mo. _ By the time the Kansas City Chiefs' Christmas night showdown against Denver kicked off, the pressure was gone. Pittsburgh won, which means Baltimore lost, and the Chiefs had officially clinched a playoff spot.
But the 2016 season was never about simply making the playoffs for these Chiefs. After winning their first playoff game in 22 years last season, the clearly defined goal for this team is Super Bowl or bust.
And given the fact the road to Houston will likely be a lot easier with a first-round bye and a home playoff game, the Chiefs' ensuing 33-10 win over Denver on Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium _ which kept that dream alive _ was important.
With the win, the Chiefs can still win the AFC West and earn a first-round bye as the No. 2 seed, provided they beat San Diego in the regular-season finale and the Oakland Raiders _ who lost their starting quarterback, Derek Carr, for the season this weekend _ lose on the road to the Broncos next Sunday.
But given how the Broncos looked Sunday, that's certainly not a given. After losing his first five games against the Broncos as the Chiefs' coach, Andy Reid collected his third straight win over Denver _ and 10th straight AFC West victory _ as the Chiefs ended their five-game losing streak to the Broncos at Arrowhead.
And in what doubled as a nice gift for Chiefs fans _ many of whom were no doubt frustrated by the offensive play calling in a 19-17 loss to the Tennessee Titans last week _ the Chiefs, who improved to 11-4, wasted no time getting their offensive playmakers involved.
That includes dynamic rookie receiver Tyreek Hill, who only received one offensive touch last week _ a 68-yard touchdown run _ but finished with six carries for 95 yards on Sunday, including a dynamic 70-yard touchdown run.
Also, tight end Travis Kelce only caught three passes against the Titans last week, but on Sunday, he finished with a season-high 11 catches for 160 yards, setting a team record for yards by a tight end in a single game, surpassing the previous record held by Tony Gonzalez, who had 147 in 2000.
Their play complemented a defense that harassed Denver quarterback, Trevor Siemian, all game long as the Chiefs outgained the Broncos, who fell to 8-7, 484 to 246.
The Chiefs got on the board first, courtesy of a 10-yard scramble by Alex Smith, who was sprung by a nice block from Kelce on their opening possession.
They added to their lead on their next drive, when Hill took a handoff, sprinted to the edge and _ after a massive lead block by Kelce _ rocketed up the sideline for a 70-yard touchdown.
The Chiefs, at that point, were rolling. But their 14-0 lead would soon be compromised, as Smith _ who finished 25 of 36 for 244 yards _ unleashed a floater over the middle after being drilled by a free blitzer. Safety Justin Simmons intercepted and it returned it 38 yards, setting up a 1-yard touchdown run by Justin Forsett that cut the Chiefs' lead to seven.
The Chiefs would respond, however, as coach Andy Reid dialed up a tight end screen for Kelce, who broke into the open and outran the defense for an 80-yard touchdown that gave the Chiefs a 21-7 lead they took into the second quarter.
Both teams blew field-goal opportunities in the second quarter, as Cairo Santos missed a 39-yarder and Chiefs safety Eric Murray sniffed out a fake on a 53-yard attempt. But while Denver's offense and defense struggled mightily _ the Broncos were outgained 330-145 in the first half _ they managed to kick a field goal and shut the Chiefs' offense out in the second quarter to cut the Chiefs' lead to 21-10 at the break.
The third quarter was largely uneventful _ each team punted twice and combined for 115 yards _ but the Chiefs padded their lead with a 27-yard field goal by Santos that not only made the score 24-10 early in the quarter, but also marked the offense's first second-half score in four contests.
And after the Chiefs' Anthony Sherman forced a fumble _ which they recovered _ on the ensuing kick return, Santos connected on another field goal, this one from 39 yards, to further pad the lead.
From there, the Broncos continued to sputter. They turned the ball over again, courtesy of another fumble, as the Chiefs finished them off with an amusing bit, as nose tackle Dontari Poe _ who scored on a run dubbed "Hungry Pig Right" earlier this season _ lined up as a Wildcat quarterback and threw a jump pass (no joke) to tight end Demetrius Harris for a 2-yard touchdown.
It was a tough ending for the Broncos, the defending Super Bowl champions who saw their playoff hopes dashed with the loss. But a Chiefs team that has suffered its fair share of agonizing losses to Denver over the last four years had little sympathy, as they kept their dreams of a first-round bye _ and perhaps more _ alive in style.
