In the Christmas Day rivalry trifecta, the Denver Broncos will take on the Kansas City Chiefs in a complete role reversal. Over the previous 10 seasons, it was the Chiefs preparing for a playoff run, while the Broncos spent much of that time on the outside looking in. Now the Chiefs have the opportunity to play the role of the Grinch in preventing the Broncos from claiming the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage in the AFC.
Denver (12-3) slipped up in Week 16, dropping a big game to Jacksonville, leaving the AFC’s No. 1 seed in the air likely until the final week of the season. The Broncos have already clinched a postseason berth; now the battle is to grab the top seed in the AFC and pile on a division rival in the process. The last time Denver swept KC in the season series was in 2014.
Advertisement
Just one year after making a third consecutive Super Bowl appearance, the Chiefs (6-9) will miss the playoffs for the first time since 2014, which was Year 2 of the Andy Reid era in K.C. The Chiefs can help ruin the No. 1 seed for Denver, but that might be a stretch since the Chiefs are down to quarterback No. 3 after losing Patrick Mahomes and backup Gardner Minshew in back-to-back weeks to knee injuries. Chris Oladokun filled in for Minshew in the loss to Tennessee in Week 16.
Broncos-Chiefs start time: 8:15 p.m. ET
Location: Geha Field at Arrowhead Stadium | Kansas City, Missouri
TV channel, live stream: Amazon Prime Video, NFL+
Follow along with Yahoo Sports for live updates, highlights and more as the Broncos and Chiefs close out the NFL’s Christmas Day slate in primetime.
Live2 updates
Kate Magdziuk
The Kansas City Chiefs are down to their third-string quarterback for this primetime Christmas matchup, following season-ending injuries to MVP Patrick Mahomes and his backup, Gardner Minshew. That puts 28-year-old Chris Oladokun in line for his first career start.
Oladokun was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the final round of the 2022 NFL Draft, having entered the game in place of Minshew in Week 16 following his injury.
Oladokun went 11-of-16 passing for 111 yards, 0 touchdowns and 0 interceptions while taking four sacks for 44 yards lost. Unfortunately, he gets his first career start against the Broncos’ secondary, currently allowing a league-low 5.1 net yards per pass attempt.
Mahomes underwent surgery the day after his knee injury and has already begun the rehab process, with the Chiefs hoping that he’ll be ready for the 2026 season.
Thu, December 25, 2025 at 3:48 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
With less than 90 minutes remaining until the Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs kick off Christmas evening, each team has announced its Week 17 inactives for gameday.
Here’s a look:
Broncos inactivesChiefs inactives