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Broncos-Chiefs on Christmas Day: What We Learned from Denver’s 20-13 win

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Broncos-Chiefs on Christmas Day: What We Learned from Denver’s 20-13 win


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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.



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IU football lands Kansas State transfer edge rusher Tobi Osunsanmi

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IU football lands Kansas State transfer edge rusher Tobi Osunsanmi


Indiana’s portal haul continued to grow Sunday as multiple outlets reported the addition of Kansas State edge rusher Tobi Osunsanmi.

Osunsanmi has played in 36 games over the last four years and has 8.5 sacks and 12.5 tackles for loss.  Most of that production came over the last two seasons.  He has a total of 47 QB pressures during his college career.

In 2025 he played in six games and had 20 tackles, 6.0 tackles for loss and 4.0 sacks.  He suffered a season-ending injury in October.

He saw action in all 13 games in 2024 as a reserve defensive end and on special teams, recording 19 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and a forced fumble over 303 defensive snaps and 31 special teams plays.

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In 2023 he saw time in all 13 games as a reserve linebacker, a rush end on passing downs and on special teams.  He was tied for team-high honors with five tackles on kickoff coverage.

He played in four games in 2022 and preserved his redshirt.

The 6-foot-3 and 250-pound Osunsanmi has one year of eligibility remaining.

The Wichita, Kan. product (Wichita East H.S.) was regarded as the 232nd-best overall player in the nation for the Class of 2022 by 247Sports.

Osunsanmi will help fill the void left by outgoing edge rushers Mikail Kamara, Kellan Wyatt and Stephen Daley.

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More transfer portal information:

For complete coverage of IU football recruiting, GO HERE.

The Daily Hoosier –“Where Indiana fans assemble when they’re not at Assembly”

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Kansas football transfer portal tracker: Jan. 4 developments for KU

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Kansas football transfer portal tracker: Jan. 4 developments for KU


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LAWRENCE — The Division I transfer portal window for college football is open from Jan. 2 through Jan. 16, and that means Sunday is another chance for the Kansas football program to shape its roster.

The Jayhawks already gained one public addition earlier this offseason in Grand Valley State transfer Jibriel Conde — whose signing was announced Dec. 4. Conde, who is making the jump up from Division II, is a 247Sports-rated three-star defensive lineman in the portal and is listed by KU as a defensive tackle. On Saturday, a number of current Kansas players — including redshirt freshman quarterback Isaiah Marshall, redshirt sophomore wide receiver Keaton Kubecka and redshirt sophomore defensive tackle Blake Herold — also outlined in social media posts on X that they are locked in with the program for the 2026 season.

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Marshall is set to compete for the starting quarterback job next season. Kubecka has the chance to step up into a more significant role at wide receiver. Herold is in line to be a key part of Kansas’ defensive line.

Those positives, though, don’t outweigh the fact that there has been a sizable group of players who have revealed their intentions to transfer away. Looking overall, when it comes to those whose decisions became public before and after the portal opened, the significant names to know include redshirt senior safety Lyrik Rawls, redshirt junior linebacker Trey Lathan and freshman quarterback David McComb. Lathan led KU in tackles in 2025.

Check in here for more updates during this transfer portal window about a KU team that finished 5-7 during the 2025 season, with transfer ratings as outlined by 247Sports.

Kansas football transfer portal additions

Jibriel Conde (3-star defensive lineman from Grand Valley State) — KU lists him as a defensive tackle

Kansas football transfer portal departures

Joseph Sipp Jr. (linebacker)

Jacoby Davis (cornerback)

Dylan Brooks (defensive end)

Jaidyn Doss (wide receiver)

Carter Lavrusky (offensive lineman)

Trey Lathan (linebacker)

Tyler Mercer (offensive lineman)

Harry Stewart III (running back)

Caleb Redd (3-star edge) — KU lists him as a defensive end

Aundre Gibson (3-star cornerback)

David McComb (3-star quarterback)

Kene Anene (3-star interior offensive lineman) — KU lists him as an offensive lineman

Laquan Robinson (3-star safety)

Jameel Croft Jr. (3-star cornerback)

Logan Brantley (3-star linebacker)

Greydon Grimes (3-star offensive tackle) — KU lists him as an offensive lineman

Jon Jon Kamara (3-star linebacker)

Lyrik Rawls (3-star safety)

Damani Maxson (3-star safety)

Jaden Hamm (tight end)

Bryce Cohoon (wide receiver)

JaCorey Stewart (linebacker)

Johnny Thompson Jr. (running back)

Efren Jasso (punter)

Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He was the 2022 National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.

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Hundreds celebrate Kwanzaa at Kansas City’s Gem Theatre

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Hundreds celebrate Kwanzaa at Kansas City’s Gem Theatre


KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – Hundreds of people packed the Gem Theatre over the weekend to celebrate Kwanzaa.

The celebrations run nightly through January 1. Each night highlights a different core value, including unity, cooperation and faith.

The event features local vendors and performances. Organizers say it’s a great way to start the new year.

The Kwanzaa celebration is free and open to everyone.

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