Merry Christmas Eve, Ultimate Fans! I come bearing gifts as rupnin38 is back to get the team — and us — “into the right head space” to beat a very beatable Chiefs team before the all-important Week 18 game that could decide the AFC West as well as the No. 1 seed overall.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Right now the Broncos have a a Mahomes-less Chiefs team to beat, but they have to do it at Arrowhead, so it may not be as easy as we hope. Either way, this squad needs a bounce-back game and our ultimate fan figures that is exactly what it will do!

So grab your egg nog and enjoy this Christmas present before the game!

Week 17: Broncos at Chiefs

MHR – Last week’s loss to the Jaguars was, as you said to me, a “much-needed ass whooping.” Why do you think that and how can it help this team?
Rupnin38: Don’t get me wrong, as a fan I want to see us win every game. Bottom line up front: the team came out a little too relaxed and reliant on belief rather than sound fundamentals and grittiness that defined them early on.

I think as a team and a player the noise and expectations of a win streak can mess with you and the dynamic that this team was built on. The 2025 Broncos were written off as a fun story that shouldn’t be taken seriously and that fueled them. The team was gritty, hungry, and had ice running through their veins. Then in an instant Club W was open 24/7, they were expected to clean up, and no amount of coaching can keep 100% of that swagger channeled in the right direction. The team came out unfocused, undisciplined, and playing bad ball. They needed a wake up call in a game that only kinda mattered.

MHR – Not only do the Broncos not get Patrick Mahomes, they don’t even get Gardner Minshew. If this Broncos’ defense doesn’t destroy a Chiefs offense led by a third-string QB, can you still trust VJ’s defense to get it done in the playoffs?
Rupnin38: I fully expect the D to step up and take it to the Chiefs. This should be a tone setting game, kind of a reset for the D, where they show the world they are who we thought they were. I expect that out of this defense but if they play sound fundamentals and fix the communication issues on the back end I’ll have faith. If they get carved up then yeah we have a real issue. I don’t think it’ll be a stats thing as much as an eye test thing for me on this short, banged up, divisional week.

MHR – With a third-string QB, is the running back position the biggest threat for the Broncos? Does Pacheco worry you at all?
Rupnin38: Running back is the most logical threat for the Broncos but I expect to see a lot of creative option plays pulled out of Andy Reid’s bag of tricks. The ground game overall is going to be a challenge. Reid saw what happened to us last week and Washington week, he’s going to test if we can play with sound fundamentals.

MHR – Which part of the Broncos defense is its weakest link? What does it need to “fix” to avoid another 34-point game (hopefully not against the Chiefs but in general?) Do you believe this defense is built for the playoffs or is it just built for less-dominant offenses?
Rupnin38: I still think this defense is LEGIT and built for playoff football, if they can get back to that effortless ball they played early on nobody can stop them.

Last week we were without Brandon Jones who is quite possibly the most overlooked piece of that secondary. Jones allowed Hufanga to rocket around the field, Greenlaw to play like he’s in the WWE, and quietly cleaned up any miscommunications in the secondary. Him going down really messed with that chemistry. PJ can get the job done but the whole D needs to work on communication. I think the front end felt that and started to play unsound ball trying to put the game on their shoulders. They need to function as one unit playing in sync, find that flow state again gentlemen!

MHR – Against the Jags, the Broncos offense seemed out of sync, which is not what you want to see this late in the season. Was that just good defense by Jacksonville, or do you think there were other miscues by the offense that need to be addressed ?
Rupnin38: I just think it was one of those games… Like I said earlier I think things started to get a little too loose in the building (or at least in the player’s minds) and that translated to lack of execution. You could feel it post game and leading up to the Jags game, the atmosphere just felt different. “Overdogs” and comments like that are fun but I think this team needs to embrace their inner Sean Payton. Keep all that swag in a little box and show it in drips when you’re disrespected. I feel last week came down to the offense getting too big for their britches and lost concentration.

MHR – I was super excited to see Courtland Sutton get the ball frequently against the Packers, and he had some big catches against the Jags too. But he also had an uncharacteristic drop that killed a scoring drive. Is he still the man when it comes to the guy you throw to in the clutch?
Rupnin38: Court is the man, what he’s been through with this franchise while staying loyal, his selfless play, and leadership is what a true team player and leader looks like. I hate to keep repeating myself but I think loss of concentration on execution was contagious, not even court was immune. I expect SP and the captains to put this team back in the right headspace. Look for Spags to try and take Court away this game… and expect Court to answer with some clutch plays.

MHR – The Broncos already beat Kansas City earlier this season, escaping with a 22-19 victory in a game that had much bigger implications than this Christmas Day rematch, but the Chiefs would love to play spoiler to the Broncos chances to win the AFC West and get a No. 1 seed. What will be the biggest challenges from Spagnola’s defense that the offense needs to prepare for this week?
Rupnin38: Like Ried expect Spags to push where there’s mush. He’s going to try and confuse the offense, and take away Bo’s go to guy (I hate when people call Sutton Bo’s security blanket. Bo is clutch and a competitor he doesn’t need a blanket, he just knows who he can count on). Also from a Psyops perspective I expect Spags to take away the outside of the field early to see if Bo is in his own head after that terrifying hit on Bryant.

I expect Bo to be more disciplined when distributing the ball into that part of the field, he loves his teammates and doesn’t want to see what happened to Pat ever happen again. Trust what you see Bo we won’t need hero ball this week, it can happen to anyone. On that note, prayers for Pat, it sounds like he’s going to be okay, he’s a competitor in the middle of the field and I expect him to come back better than ever.

MHR – The Broncos’ secondary got torched last week. I know it isn’t Mahomes but there is still Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy and Travis Kelce to worry about. What do you want to see from Surtain, Moss, Hufanga, Locke, Abrams-Draine to keep the game in front of them?
Rupnin38: Effective communication. The secondary in this system succeeds or fails on functioning as one mind out there. If there is seamless communication I think the missed tackles and blown assignments will be a fluke we don’t see again. Rally around each other, get PJ up to speed, maybe have a sleep over 😂 do a white elephant exchange, play some madden and bro out a little. Do anything to get back in sync.

MHR – There’s a lot of speculation that this is Travis Kelce’s last season. What do you think of him as a tight end? As a competitor? As the jackass who liked to taunt Broncos defenders? As the boyfriend to a famous pop star? 😉
Rupnin38: This is likely his last game at Arrowhead and that is scary… He is one of the best to play the game…dude knows ball and is unbelievably talented. I think unlike his brother he didn’t know when he was checked out. This season he’s seemed off and I think that’s due to his personal life, he looks like he’s ready for the outside world. I hope he chases his love story, doesn’t shake it (the feeling that he’s done) off, and he and Mahomes are never ever getting back together 😉. And let’s keep that smug look we’re all so used to seeing off his face for his last game against the Broncos. I want to see more of him on the sideline reevaluating his life choices!

MHR – The Broncos had six players named to the Pro Bowl. Do you agree with the selections (Meinerz, Surtain, Sutton, Allen, Bolles, Bonitto)? Even though it’s a popularity contest from the season prior, and even though the game is not really a game, how good does it feel to have voters across the league recognize more Broncos? What do you think of the Pro Bowl format now?
Rupnin38: It’s fun to have that many Pro Bowl selections. Yeah the voting is a popularity contest and players shouldn’t really care. The Broncos are always looked down on so this year’s selections should remind fans that this team is good… really good. I hope we get that kind of respect when it comes to Hall of Fame selections in the future. I like the new format, it’s a new generation in the NFL and players want to show off their skills while staying healthy, I think fans are getting a better product (even if it feels kitschy).

MHR – Is the season still a success if the Broncos don’t lock up the AFC West? Or only “make” the playoffs but don’t win at least the first round? Or don’t go all the way?
Rupnin38: From my perspective a playoff win would be a success. I think from a national media perspective (pre week 1) this season is a success (see Nick Wrong’s AFC West prediction). But for the team and the organization SP already laid out what success looks like: 1. Win the West, 2. Lock up the #1, 3. Win in the playoffs, 4. Get to the big dance). 50% is failing so I guess we need to hit 3 out of 4 of those goals.

MHR – The Broncos have clinched a playoff spot but haven’t actually won the AFC West yet or locked up the home field advantage. How important are the next two games to try and gain both of those?
Rupnin38: They are everything for this team. They know what SP expects out of them and they are a reflection of their coach. This is the vibe that the team needs to win. Control your own destiny and prove the doubters wrong!

MHR – What is your Broncos Christmas wish on Thursday?
Rupnin38: Season tickets or playoff tickets, signed jersey, my wife letting me paint the basement blue and orange….Oh wait, not my Christmas list, my Christmas wish…

Just WIN and stay healthy for all of Broncos Country WIN. Win this week win next week win every week until we’re hoisting the Lombardi.

Stats for BO NIX? 350 air yards, 25 on the ground, 3 passing TDs, 0 interceptions, 1 sack

Stats for each Broncos RB? RJ 130 all purpose 2 TDs, all the rest 40 all purpose.

Number of yards receiving/TDs for the receivers? Sutton: 88 yds 1 TD, Franklin 62 yds, Mims 75 and a long TD, Engram 45 yds, LJH 30 yds.

Longest FG for Lutz? 52, and a 44 right down the middle

Number of sacks to Chris Oladokun? 7

Broncos player with the most tackles? Singleton has himself a Singleton game.

Who gets the first sack of the game for the Broncos? Nik, he was rightfully pissed off after the loss. He’s going to come out flying.

How many times will the announcers talk about “if Mahomes had played?” 27

How many INTs/FF/FR for the Chiefs D? 0/0/0

How many INTs/FF/FR for the Broncos’ D? 1/1/1

How many terrible PI calls will go against the Broncos defense? 3, Riely gets one, PJ gets one, and they throw one on Pat for a severely underthrown ball that he can’t do anything about

Final Score? Den 34, KC 16 (1 TD 3 field goals)

Favorite Jake Plummer win? The snake dealing Tom Brady his first ever playoff loss I think in ‘06

Favorite Jay Cutler win? His first win in a Broncos uniform against the Cards. I really thought he was going to be the next guy for us for a long time.

Favorite Tim Tebow win? Let’s be real; it’s everyone’s favorite Tebow win. The playoffs vs the Steelers, The 3:16 game, the 80-yard prayer game. Whatever you wanna call it. After that game, even my wife, who is a diehard Packers fan, asked for a Tebow jersey (and she got one!)

Favorite Broncos uniform? I want to say the CLEAN throwbacks we now wear but ‘97-‘23 we have 4 Super Bowl appearances and 3 wins… you can’t argue with a winning look.

Favorite win over the Chiefs? 16 Nov 2025, let it be the date in which the Broncos ended the Dynasty

Favorite Christmas present you ever got? Not a big present guy but the first homemade present my toddler ever got me. It was just a handprint on a piece of paper they made at daycare. Nothing is better than being a dad.

Favorite Christmas present you ever gave? The news to my parents and my Wife’s that she was pregnant after a few years of struggling. Still have the videos saved.

Coach you despise most in the NFL? Josh McDaniels.

Coach you wish worked for Sean Payton and the Broncos? Honestly love this staff, if we’re going to lose Davis Webb this year can we promote him to OC and bring in another Peyton (Manning) as our QB coach?! Yeah that’s my answer Manning… next year lol

Next stadium you’d like to visit for a Broncos’ away game? Levi stadium this February 😉but living in the real world: Foxborough would be awesome.

Most important game this season? Week 18, game overall the last win against KC.

Who should be the next Ring of Fame inductee? I’d like to see Ed McCaffrey

Favorite Broncos’ Pro Bowl selection? Big #77 reprint Wisconsin and the Broncos well! Love a small school story remember when he was breaking trees in the snowy forest for his workouts during COVID?!

Your kids’ favorite jerseys? My youngest can’t really conceptualize that thought but he’s rocking the only jersey I could find that fits him – No. 10 “Nix for Six!” And my oldest loves hitting people and chasing me when I play QB for him, so he would love a Bonitto jersey but until I find one in stock that fits him, he’s rocking his PS2 jersey. It’s going to be a very orange Christmas family photo this year! BONUS: my wife’s favorite Broncos jersey is her Tebow jersey!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays Broncos Country! Love all of you out there #UnitedinOrange. I pray you all have a blessed season with your friends and family, and if you can’t be with them know we’re all with you. GO BRONCOS! Gift us an easy win for Christmas!