The Denver Broncos caught a couple of significant breaks ahead of their matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs on “Thursday Night Football” in Week 17. Neither Patrick Mahomes nor Gardner Minshew is available to the Chiefs, who will turn to Chris Oladokun in their stead.
However, Oladokun has no plans of letting the Broncos off easy.
To the contrary, the veteran backup spoke candidly about his confidence in the Chiefs’ ability to upset the Broncos and sour their Christmas.
Chiefs QB Chris Oladokun Sends Clear Message on Broncos Game
GettyChris Oladokun #19 of the Kansas City Chiefs directs the action against the Denver Broncos.
Oladokun was a seventh-round draft pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2022, but he is in his third season with the Chiefs, who signed him after he was waived. So, Oladokun knows Chiefs head coach Andy Reid’s offense better than a large swath of his teammates.
That explains Oladokun’s confidence in being able to operate the offense.
He did not dismiss the difficulty of facing the Broncos, who lead the league in sacks by a wide margin, though.
“That’d be great,” Oladokun told reporters on December 23. “It’d be a great Christmas, that’s for sure. It’d make the mood a lot lighter at home after the game. But we know we’re facing a great opponent in Denver. One of the best teams in the league right now. Not only defensively, but offensively as well. So, we’ve definitely got our hands full. And I feel like we got a good plan to go out there and spoil that on Christmas.”
The Chiefs are 6-9 and, in addition to being without Mahomes or his top backup in Gardner Minshew, have already been eliminated from playoff contention. They can still play spoiler, though, and the Broncos are still fighting to win the AFC West and the No. 1 overall seed.
Oladokun threw his first regular-season pass attempts in Week 16.
The young veteran completed 11 of 16 passes (68.8%) for 111 yards, 0 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions in a 26-9 loss to the Tennessee Titans. That was his second career game.
Broncos Facing Must-Win Scenario for AFC West Crown
GettyDenver Broncos head coach Sean Payton looks on against the Green Bay Packers.
The Broncos won the first meeting, with Mahomes healthy for the Chiefs, in Week 11. But losing to the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 16 did not cost them the top spot in the AFC standings. It did, however, eliminate the breathing room they had.
The New England Patriots have an identical 12-3 record. Denver owns the tiebreaker in that case, though.
That is why they remain on top of the standings.
The Jaguars, Buffalo Bills, and Los Angeles Chargers–whom the Broncos face in Week 18–are all 11-4, while the Houston Texans are not out of the race entirely at 10-5. Losing to the Jaguars allows the Broncos to reset from the pressure of extending their winning streak.
The intensity will only ratchet up in the postseason. The key for the Broncos will be to prove their shortcomings against the Jaguars are not commonplace when facing playoff teams.
Denver lost in the Wild Card Round to the Bills in the 2024 playoffs.
They entered this season speaking openly about making a run for the Super Bowl. The Broncos have a long way fo to go before that, though, starting with defeating Oladokun and the Chiefs on “Thursday Night Football” in Week 17.
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