Denver Broncos Sweep the Kansas City Chiefs, 2025 Team is Just Like 2015

The Denver Broncos swept the Kansas City Chiefs tonight, in a 20-13 win to almost clinch the AFC West.

It was the first time Denver swept Kansas City since 2014, and 2015 was the last time the Broncos won the division.

And 2015 was when the Broncos won their third Vince Lombardi trophy, in Super Bowl 50. It's enough to ask: is this 2025 team just like that 2015 Super Bowl-winning squad?

Broncos sweep the Chiefs, a beautiful Christmas present

The Broncos just swept the Chiefs for the first time since 2014.

For the next eight years after that, Kansas City straight-up owned Denver on the football field. The Chiefs won 16 straight meetings against the Broncos; close ones, blowouts, and everything in between before Sean Payton became the head coach in 2023.

Payton—along with a perfect storm of cold weather and the flu for Patrick Mahomes—helped end that 16-game win streak for the Chiefs two years ago. The dominance during that run was partly the Chiefs being the best team in the NFL and Denver being arguably the worst team from 2017-2022.

No more.

Denver just asserted their dominance over the entire division. The Broncos improved to 13-3, their first 13-win season since 2013 (a Super Bowl appearance). If the Texans beat the Chargers on Sunday, the Broncos will win the West. If LA wins, the division and the No. 1 seed in the AFC all come down to Week 18 in the Mile High City.

But these Chiefs just wouldn't quit, man.

Kansas City gave it all they had, despite playing a 3rd-string quarterback and putting multiple starters on Injured Reserve this week.

Hey, it was Travis Kelce's (likely) last-ever game at Arrowhead. And Chris Jones played his ass off, too, even through the loss.

Though, it was pretty hilarious when, with 2 minutes to go and facing a 4th and 2 from the 9-yard line that Denver acted like they were going for it and the All-Pro Jones jumped offsides. That gave the Broncos a first down, and they scored the game-winning touchdown when Bo Nix rolled out and hit RJ Harvey in the back of the end zone. Sean Payton even admitted after the win they were going to take the delay of game, but Jones goofed.

"Here's the thing. It doesn't have to be aesthetically pleasing to be effective. I've said that before," Sean Payton explained after the tough win. "That's all that's important."

It was the Broncos 12th comeback win of the year, a new NFL record. It wasn't a pretty win for the Broncos. But then again, which ones have been for Denver this year?

Cincinnati, Dallas, and Green Bay. And that's it. Even the Packers game was will just a one-score victory.

Speaking of, Denver just tied the NFL record with 11 one-score wins in a season.

There's a reason why divisional games mean more. You play a team twice a year for eternity; the animosity and familiarity grows. Each team wants to beat the other more than other opponents, and they know more about one another, too.

No doubt about it, Kansas City wanted to play spoiler to the Broncos No. 1 seed hopes tonight.

"You always have to remember this; you are playing the heart of a champion," Sean Payton said on Christmas night. "Andy (Reid) and this team, I don’t care who comes out of that locker room. This is a team that has been at the top of our league for the better part of the century. There is a ton of respect we have for what they have been able to accomplish.”

They took the 7-3 lead and held the advantage until late in the 3rd quarter.

Denver finally took the lead at 13-10, and regained it at 20-13, the final score.

Broncos led in almost every way

Despite the game being so close throughout, the Broncos actually dominated in basically every stat category.

They had 22 first downs to 10 for K.C. Denver also went 11-18 (61.1%) on 3rd downs, while K.C. converted on only 4-11 (36.4%). And the Broncos totaled 303 yards vs. 139 for the Chiefs, and basically doubled the home team up in time of possession (39:28-20:32).

But Bo Nix threw a silly interception in the second quarter which kept the Chiefs in the game and helped them to their only touchdown. And the punt coverage unit also gave Kansas City great field possession that they cashed in for a field goal.

Denver played a sloppy first half and then imposed their will in the third and fourth quarters.

These Broncos have been a second-half team all year long. Yes.

They're probably the most clutch team in the NFL this year.

But they won't be able to afford starting slowly and sloppily against playoff opponents from now until the end of their season.

Next week—after nine days off—the Broncos will face the LA Chargers, a fellow playoff team. If Denver wins, they'll earn the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye. Then take on one, two, or three increasingly difficult playoff teams.

While Payton has a read on Andy Reid—improving to 4-2 tonight during his Denver tenure—he's 0-3 against Jim Harbaugh and the Chargers.

Still, enjoy this win this Christmas weekend, Broncos Country! And a sweep of the Chiefs.

Merry NIXmas!

2025 Broncos similar to 2015 team, Super Bowl 50 champions

Defense first, offense second; that's how the 2015 Denver Broncos and the No Fly Zone won Super Bowl 50.

Many people have already made the comparison between that team—the last great Broncos team—and this one.

Namely, because they both are led by an incredible defense.

2015's No Fly Zone, highlighted by Chris Harris Jr., Aqib Talib, and Von Miller, led the NFL in sacks and were No. 4 in scoring (18.5 points allowed per game). They rushed the passer incredibly well. Miller was joined by DeMarcus Ware for most of that season until Ware got injured, while Malik Jackson, Derek Wolfe, and Shaquil Barrett all pitched in with 5.5 sacks each.

The relentless pass rush forced quarterbacks to either eat the ball and take a sack, or force it into tight coverage for interceptions. They had 14 picks that year, and Talib returned two of them for touchdowns.

This year's defense is very similar, albeit with fewer turnovers forced.

But they're better in many ways than that 2015 defense, too.

The 2025 team has 11 more sacks, 63 total to lead the NFL. This year's team is also No. 1 on 3rd downs (33.6%) and the red zone (44.4%). 2015 was 7th and 20th, respectively, in those crucial categories.

The one thing this year's defense doesn't have on that Super Bowl-winning D is turnovers; the No Fly Zone had 27 total turnovers forced, this year's team has only 12.

Still, we saw the winning formula play out a decade ago. So why can't it happen again, now?

It can.

Other similarities are with the quarterback and offensive play.

That team 10 years ago was 19th in scoring (22.2 PPG), and this team is 13th (23.9 PPG). The point differentials for each team are: 2015, 3.7 and 2025, 4.6. The offense has been carried by the defense this season in many games. The same was true a decade ago.

That was Peyton Manning's final year, and he even had to be sidelined and Brock Osweiler started due to injury and age.

Conversely, Bo Nix is young and healthy, but his play is up and down, just like Manning and Osweiler's was back then. But to give him his due, Nix is playing better quarterback than either of them did (89.0 passer rating vs. 76.9 for the combo back then). Plus, Nix can get it done with his legs, as we saw last night with the rushing touchdown.

And one more similarity is the two team's records in one-score games.

They've gone an incredible 11-2 this year in such games, and 9-3 in one-score games in 2015.

That tidbit of information is important because while it may seem like these current Denver Broncos aren't good enough to win the Super Bowl, again, the blueprint is there.

It's proven. You can win a ton of close games, become steeled, and win the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

One major difference is that Manning was the smartest quarterback in the game. He revolutionized how audibles are done league-wide today. His physical skills diminished, his arm was weaker than in his prime, but he still picked apart defenses.

Nix is still learning how to do that. He's not as cerebral as Manning was—no quarterback has ever been—but when he's on, Nix has been great at reading defenses and attacking them this year. Obviously, the Broncos can only go as far as Nix helps take them, because even a great defense needs an offense to score points to win.

Another difference was that 2015 team was at the end of their four-year run, which included four straight AFC West titles, and two Super Bowl appearances.

This 2025 team is just at the beginning of what could be a multiple-year run of being a contender. Their window is officially open, and has been since mid-year.

That's not to say these Broncos should be content with winning the AFC West and being one-and-done in the playoffs.

Hell no. They've come too far for that.

This team must, at the very least, win a playoff game.

Where we sit right now, they should be the AFC's No. 1 seed. Take care of business and you're in the driver's seat. The road to the Super Bowl goes through Denver, with that coveted bye.

Even if they don't get the No. 1 seed, they still need to win a playoff game this year at the minimum.

But they should try to win it all now, because there are so many teams down at the moment. And teams change from year to year, even when they're on the rise like Denver is.

Free agents come and go, new draft picks are inserted, and the chemistry alters.

Yes, the Broncos are one year ahead of schedule. But they must take advantage of this weird season.

Look at Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals in 2021. They went on a run in the playoffs and beat the Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game, but lost in the Super Bowl to the LA Rams. They lost to K.C. in the Championship the next year, and have missed the playoffs the last three straight seasons. Burrow may even be on his way out of Cincy.

Their window opened in 2021 and promptly closed after 2022.

Denver's just opened, how long it'll stay open no one knows.

This 2025 team needs to follow in the footsteps of 2015 and get to Santa Clara and win the Super Bowl.

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