NFL Insider Hypes Chiefs-Broncos as ‘Biggest Denver Game’ Since 2016 AFC Title

The Denver Broncos are treating Sunday’s home matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs like a return to the Peyton Manning era.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, team officials consider this weekend’s AFC West clash at Empower Field at Mile High the biggest NFL game played in Denver in almost a decade, dating back to the 2016 AFC Championship Game. That afternoon, Manning’s Broncos edged Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, 20-18, on their way to a win in Super Bowl 50.

The stakes help explain the comparison. Denver enters Week 11 at 8-2, riding a seven-game winning streak and sitting atop the AFC West, while Kansas City comes in at 5-4 and fighting to keep its run of division titles alive.

Broncos Tie Chiefs Showdown Back to Manning–Brady Classic

Invoking the 2016 AFC title game is no small thing in Denver. That day remains one of the loudest, most intense environments in Mile High history, with a dominant Broncos defense harassing Brady and sending Manning to his final Super Bowl,  and the franchise’s third Lombardi Trophy.

Schefter’s note signals how people inside the building view this moment. Since that championship run, the Broncos have cycled through coaches, quarterbacks and losing seasons while watching the Chiefs dominate the AFC West and the NFL at large.

Now the roles are at least partially reversed. The Broncos have already snapped Kansas City’s 16-game winning streak in the rivalry and enter Sunday with control of the division, while the Chiefs are trying to chase down Denver and stay on track for the postseason.

What’s at Stake for the Broncos & Chiefs

This game could swing the AFC West race. A Broncos win would push Denver to 9-2, extend its lead over Kansas City and further cement projections that already give Sean Payton’s team the inside track to the division. A loss would tighten the standings and reopen the door for the Chiefs.

For the Chiefs, this is unfamiliar territory. After nine straight AFC West titles, Kansas City arrives in Denver in third place, trailing both the Broncos and the Los Angeles Chargers. Dropping another divisional game would make it far tougher for Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid to extend that streak.

The Broncos, meanwhile, have to navigate this “biggest game in a decade” without starting running back J.K. Dobbins, who is out with a significant foot injury and landed on injured reserve. Rookie RJ Harvey is expected to shoulder more of the work in the backfield.

Add in a raucous, late-afternoon national window on CBS and Denver’s pass rush going after Mahomes in the thin air, and it is easy to see why team officials are talking about this matchup in historic terms.

Stats, Schedule & Context for Broncos-Chiefs

• Matchup: Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos, Week 11 
• Records: Broncos 8-2, Chiefs 5-4 
• Kickoff: Sunday, November 16, 4:25 p.m. ET, Empower Field at Mile High 
• TV: CBS national broadcast 
• Recent rivalry note: Broncos ended the Chiefs’ 16-game winning streak in the series with a 38-0 home win in January 2025. 
• Post-2015 context: Kansas City has captured the last nine AFC West titles; Denver is aiming to end that run. 

If the Broncos can deliver in the moment their own officials are calling the biggest game in Denver since Manning versus Brady, they could not only tighten their grip on the division, but also signal that the AFC West’s balance of power has finally shifted.

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