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1. Broncos controlled the clock, could clinch AFC West. It wasn’t easy, but the Broncos outlasted the Chiefs on Christmas night and now are a Los Angeles Chargers tie or loss on Saturday away from clinching the AFC West. The No. 1 seed might have to wait until Week 18, but Denver did just enough in a slugfest to survive. The Broncos had three drives of eight minutes or longer, but it wasn’t until the third one, late in the third quarter, where they finally found the end zone. Bo Nix scrambled 9 yards for the touchdown to give the Broncos the lead, as his legs were a key element in the victory. They’d had drives of 14 and 16 plays that ended in field goals before that, and Nix’s first-quarter interception set up a Chiefs TD that kept Denver in a trailing position well into the second half. After the Chiefs tied it at 13 apiece, Nix led the Broncos into the red zone, where they faced a critical decision on fourth-and-2 at the Kansas City 9-yard line at the two-minute warning. The Broncos lined up to go for it and were able to draw Chris Jones offsides, forcing Kansas City to burn two timeouts before Nix hit RJ Harvey for the go-ahead TD.
2. Oladokun came up just short in first start for Chiefs. Chris Oladokun had to wait four years on the Chiefs’ practice squad for his opportunity to start his first NFL game, and he had a chance to lead a game-tying or winning drive in the final minutes, but it came up just short. Oladokun was held to 43 passing yards prior to the drive, but he hit Travis Kelce three times for 23 yards and had a 7-yard scramble to put the Chiefs in business, down, 20-13, in the waning moments. That’s when a delay of game penalty and two incomplete passes doomed the Chiefs in their third straight home loss. If this was Kelce’s final home game, he finished with five catches for 36 yards as the one consistent weapon in the passing game. His 11-yard catch in the first quarter drew a rousing ovation, but he was targeted only once more until the final drive. The 28-year-old Oladokun played mostly mistake-free ball and threw his first NFL TD pass to give the Chiefs a chance but couldn’t get much going until late.
3. Denver must play better. The Broncos are well-positioned to win the AFC West and clinch the AFC’s No. 1 seed, but this one was a little too close for comfort. Coming off the disappointing two-TD loss at home to the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Broncos were heavily favored against a Chiefs team down two QBs with a first-time starter and missing two of their top receivers. The Broncos’ defense held the Chiefs to 139 yards, but Kansas City was one or two more plays away from potentially tying or winning the game late. They had only one sack in the game and had some painful penalties in the second half, including a 27-yard defensive pass interference call against Patrick Surtain II to give the Chiefs some life. After two red-zone failures, the Broncos finally converted with two touchdowns down there, but it was a tighter game than it should have been considering the circumstances. There’s still a potentially significant game left against the Chargers, assuming Los Angeles beats the Houston Texans this weekend. The Broncos will need to sharpen up with so much at stake.

Next Gen Stats Insight for Broncos-Chiefs (via NFL Pro): Tight end Travis Kelce led the Chiefs with five receptions for 36 yards on six targets against the Broncos, accounting for 54.5% of Kansas City’s receiving yards, the highest share for the Chiefs this season. When matched up against cornerback Patrick Surtain II on seven occasions, Kelce was targeted twice, managing just one reception for 11 yards.

NFL Research: With Thursday’s win, Sean Payton (five) joined Bill Belichick (seven) as the only coaches in NFL history to win 13-plus games in at least five seasons.

The Kansas Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Dec. 24, 2025, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from Dec. 24 drawing

04-25-31-52-59, Powerball: 19, Power Play: 2

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 3 numbers from Dec. 24 drawing

Midday: 5-0-7

Evening: 1-2-4

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning 2 By 2 numbers from Dec. 24 drawing

Red Balls: 05-20, White Balls: 02-10

Check 2 By 2 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lucky For Life numbers from Dec. 24 drawing

03-05-07-17-34, Lucky Ball: 09

Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lotto America numbers from Dec. 24 drawing

01-18-27-41-49, Star Ball: 09, ASB: 02

Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Super Kansas Cash numbers from Dec. 24 drawing

03-04-07-25-27, Cash Ball: 25

Check Super Kansas Cash payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

All Kansas Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $599. For prizes over $599, winners can submit winning tickets through the mail or in person at select Kansas Lottery offices.

By mail, send a winner claim form and your signed lottery ticket to:

Kansas Lottery Headquarters

128 N Kansas Avenue

Topeka, KS 66603-3638

(785) 296-5700

To submit in person, sign the back of your ticket, fill out a claim form, and deliver the form along with your signed lottery ticket to Kansas Lottery headquarters. 128 N Kansas Avenue, Topeka, KS 66603-3638, (785) 296-5700. Hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes of any amount.

Check previous winning numbers and payouts at Kansas Lottery.

When are the Kansas Lottery drawings held?

• Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
• Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT Tuesday and Friday.
• Pick 3 Midday/Evening: 1:10 p.m. and 9:10 p.m. CT daily.
• 2 By 2: 9:30 p.m. CT daily.
• Lucky for Life: 9:38 p.m. CT daily.
• Lotto America: 9:15 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
• Super Kansas Cash: 9:10 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.

Denver (12-3) at Kansas City (6-9)

Thursday, 8:15 p.m. EST, Amazon Prime Video.

BetMGM NFL Odds: Broncos by 13.

Against the spread: Broncos 6-8-1; Chiefs 5-9-1.

Series record: Chiefs lead 73-58.

Last meeting: Broncos beat Chiefs 22-19 on Nov. 16 in Denver.

Last week: Broncos lost to Jaguars 34-20 in Denver; Chiefs lost to Titans 26-9 in Tennessee.

Broncos offense: overall (9), rush (18), pass (8), scoring (13).

Broncos defense: overall (4), rush (2), pass (10), scoring (5).

Chiefs offense: overall (13), rush (22), pass (9), scoring (20).

Chiefs defense: overall (10), rush (8), pass (12), scoring (4).

Turnover differential: Broncos minus-4; Chiefs minus-2.

Broncos player to watch

WR Courtland Sutton needs 28 yards receiving to become the first Broncos player with back-to-back 1,000 yards seasons since Emmanuel Sanders (2014-16) and Demaryius Thomas (2012-16).

Chiefs player to watch

QB Chris Oladokun finished out last week’s game against the Titans once Gardner Minshew joined Patrick Mahomes in tearing his ACL in consecutive weeks. Now, the former South Florida, Samford and South Dakota State quarterback — a seventh-round pick in 2022 — could make his first NFL start.

Key matchup

The Chiefs quarterback against the Broncos pass rush, which is the best in the league. They have 63 sacks, or 13 more than the second-place Falcons, and more than double what Kansas City (31) has had this season.

Key injuries

Chiefs: CBs Trent McDuffie (knee) and Jaylen Watson (groin) and WRs Nikko Remigio (knee), Rashee Rice (concussion) and Tyquan Thornton (concussion) missed practice this week. QB Gardner Minshew (torn ACL) went on injured reserve.

Broncos: LB Dre Greenlaw has been dealing with a hamstring injury. WR Pat Bryant (concussion), C Luke Wattenberg (shoulder), TE Nate Adkins (knee) have also been out. LBs Justin Strnad (foot) and Karene Reid (hamstring) were full participants this week.

Series notes

The Chiefs won 16 consecutive games in the series beginning in November 2015 and ending in October 2023. But since then, the Broncos have won three of the past four, including their matchup earlier this season in Denver. Each of those three wins have come at home for the Broncos; they still have not won in Kansas City since Sept. 17, 2015.

Stats and stuff

Broncos QB Bo Nix is tied for the second-most victories over the first two seasons at his position with 22. … Nix needs one TD pass to become the fourth QB in NFL history with at least 25 in each of his first two seasons. … Two of Nix’s protectors earned their first Pro Bowl starting bids in G Quinn Meinerz and ninth-year veteran T Garett Bolles, who leads the league in pass-blocking efficiency and has yet to allow a sack this season. … WR Courtland Sutton has moved into fifth in Broncos history with 6,226 yards receiving. … Broncos LB Nik Bonitto needs one sack to joins Simon Fletcher as the only players in team history with at least 13 1/2 in back-to-back seasons. … Chiefs TE Travis Kelce needs 46 yards to become the fastest at his position to reach 13,000 in NFL history. Kelce has caught a pass in 189 straight games, the longest streak in Chiefs history and longest active streak in the NFL. … Chiefs K Harrison Butker has missed at least one PAT or FG attempt in eight of their 15 games. Kansas City was 1 for 9 on third down and finished with 133 total yards last week against the Titans. Nearly half of those yards were offset by 10 penalties for 59 yards.

Fantasy tip

Broncos RB R.J Harvey could have a huge day against a beaten-up Kansas City defense, one week after the Titans’ Tony Pollard eclipsed 100 yards against it. The Chiefs offense has been decimated by injuries, which means they could be punting a lot, giving the Broncos the ball for long stretches. And if the game gets out of hand early — a distinct possibility — then it could be Harvey getting fed simply to run out the clock.