Broncos on the brink of first AFC West title since 2015 after Christmas win in Kansas City

mile-high city — even out after the capital of colorado Broncos clinched a playoff bunk before this month, coach Sean Payton kept insisting they hadn't accomplished any of their goals, which start with a division title and end with a Super Bowl parade.

They took a big step in that direction with a 20-13 win at Kansas City on Thursday night. Yet, even at 13-3, the Broncos haven't reached any of the goals they outlined in training camp.

That could change Saturday if the Los Angeles Chargers lose at home to the Houston Texans, giving the Broncos their first AFC West title since 2015.

Asked if that would be weird to clinch while sitting on the couch, Broncos coach Sean Payton laughed.

“No,” he said. "It will be relaxing, it will be nice.”

Either way, the Broncos likely will have to beat the Chargers at home next weekend for the first time in four tries since Jim Harbaugh took over as LA's coach for Denver to clinch the AFC's No. 1 seed and first-round playoff bye.

A slip-up against the Chargers would send the Broncos tumbling all the way to the fifth spot in the AFC playoff field and put them on the road in the first round.

The Broncos' win at Arrowhead Stadium was their first in Kansas City since Sept. 17, 2015, but that wasn't on their minds.

“No, because those are someone else’s demons,” Payton explained. “I heard that all of the time in New Orleans, ‘You’ve never won a playoff game.' That’s not this team. You can’t fight those other demons.”

Rookie RB RJ Harvey caught a 1-yard touchdown pass with 1:45 left that proved the difference. It was his 12th touchdown. It came after Chris Jones' neutral-zone infraction on fourth-and-2 at the Chiefs 9 when the Broncos were planning to take a delay penalty and kick a field goal to break a 13-all tie.

“It was covered initially, then he climbed. He has receiver skill sets," Payton said. "... I couldn’t see the angle and I heard the cheer. I said, ‘Please tell me that isn’t an interception.' It was loud enough where I didn’t know if it was the Kansas City cheer. Fortunately, it was the Bronco cheer. I am sure it was a heck of a throw and catch.

"To score seven greatly changes the dynamic with their kicker. You know how the kicking game is. You are starting at the 35 average. It greatly changed the outcome of the game, that they needed a touchdown.”

The Broncos could use some help from the Texans. If Houston beats LA on Saturday, Denver has its first division crown in a decade and will get to host a playoff game.

C Alex Forsyth got a game ball after he filled in admirably for starter Luke Wattenberg, who went on IR with a shoulder injury. Last season at Kansas City, Forsyth was bowled over on a blocked field goal as time expired in a 16-14 loss at Arrowhead Stadium.

“I’ll tell you what was pretty impressive: Alex came in and played really well, got a game ball,” Payton said. "It was a tough trip home last year. It’s a little life lesson, for someone like him, to come back in a starting role. That was pretty cool.”

Bo Nix thought so, too.

“I am super happy for him. I would say no one prepares more in this league than he does," Nix said. "I think he is one of the most in-depth preparers I have ever seen. It is awesome to play behind him. I knew coming into this game and he was not going to leave any stone unturned. He prepares like no other, and he does his best to put the team in the best chance of succeeding.

"We all know what happened here last year and how much it hurt him and what it meant to him. It was a God wink that he got to come back here, start and play the full game and get our first win here in a long time. He has earned that, and he is well deserving of that game ball.”

At 13-3, there is not really anybody in Denver whose stock is slipping.

The Broncos are expected to be without Wattenberg for a month.

— 64 sacks by the Broncos this season, breaking the franchise record of 63 set last season.

— 23 wins by Nix is the second-most all-time by a quarterback in his first two years in the NFL. That mark is held by Russell Wilson.

— 5 times Payton has posted a 13-win season, second only to Bill Belichick's seven. Payton did it in 2009, 2011, 2018 and 2019 with New Orleans.

“When I heard that, I had trouble figuring out which were the 13-win teams,” Payton said. "We had some other teams that were 12- or 11-win teams. I have been fortunate to have really good players and real good coaches. Some of them who are right here that have been a part of all of those wins, part of those wins. Obviously, Bill is good company. Let’s keep it going.”

It very well could come down to a winner-take-all showdown against the Chargers next weekend at Empower Field, where the Broncos are 7-1. The division title and, more importantly, the top seed in the AFC, could be at stake depending on the outcomes of the rest of Week 17 this weekend.

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