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.

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (KCTV) – As Kansas lawmakers and the Chiefs held negotiations to get the team to leave Missouri, Lieutenant Governor David Toland led those conversations. He spoke to KCTV at the Kansas Department of Commerce office in Overland Park on Tuesday.

“We’re thrilled,” said Toland. “We’re so excited to be able to bring the Chiefs to Kansas, keep them in the Kansas City region, and to add an entirely new facility to the ecosystem of assets in Kansas City, which is a modern, domed facility that can host a Super Bowl, Final Fours, and big bowl games among many other things.”

Toland, who is also the state’s Secretary of Commerce, describes the last few days as a whirlwind, but a happy one, and they weren’t sure it was a done deal until around 2 p.m. on Sunday. He acknowledges the teamwork from state politicians in getting this done.

“This is a massive win,” said Toland. “It’s a massive project. We’re talking about a $4 billion project, 21,000 construction jobs, $4 billion in economic impact just during construction and then $1 billion a year in new revenues to Kansas. Our main message is one; this is a great deal for the taxpayers. Two, we’re going to be able to do things that we’ve never done before in Kansas and in Kansas City. Three, and most importantly, this is great for the Chiefs.”

The new stadium in Wyandotte County and team headquarters and practice facility in Johnson County, along with entertainment districts at both, are part of a new STAR Bond District. The Sales Tax and Revenue bonds, or STAR Bonds, will help finance this project. The cost of the projects will be split 60-40, with Kansas paying 60% and the Chiefs paying 40%.

“This is a project that pays for itself with new revenues and at no risk to the taxpayers,” said Toland. “It’s going to create new money that is not currently here. That sales tax from the district in that area is pledged to the STAR Bonds. The risk for those STAR Bonds is born by the people who buy those bonds, not by the taxpayers. That’s about 80% of the capitol stack for the project. The other 20% comes from the state’s Attracting Professional Sports to Kansas Fund, which comes from the lottery and from sports betting. You put those two pieces together and that’s how we’re able to accomplish a $4 billion deal for Kansas.”

There have been questions of the success rate of STAR Bonds for past projects. KCTV5 investigated the 25-year history of the program and found a mixed record: some projects paid off early, while others closed before the bonds were retired. Toland stands by them.

“STAR Bonds are a proven tool that we’ve been using for over 25 years in Kansas,” said Toland. “We’ve done huge projects with them, like the Kansas Speedway, and we’ve done smaller projects all over the state, like the Amelia Earhart Museum in Atchison, for example.

“This is a proven model. We’ve done them successfully and it’s a tool that’s particularly good on a large project like this. We’re going to have a STAR Bond District that’s very strong, and we know that this is going to be a win, not just for the Chiefs and the communities, but for the investors.”

With the plans for the new stadium to have a dome and an entertainment district, Toland says it can be used for much more than Chiefs’ games. He listed Super Bowl games, Final Four games, collegiate bowl games, and concerts, on top of hotels, restaurants, and more. He says this is a win for the whole metro.

“When you have a large-scale event like that, the impact is felt not just in Kansas, but across the region,” said Toland. “I think this is going to be, without question, a net positive for the Kansas City metro and that’s always been a goal of ours. We want a destination that’s going to be active, vibrant, and alive 365 days a year with people who live there and work there and come for restaurants and entertainment any night of the year. That’s a major part of how this project will differ from what’s currently at the Truman Sports Complex.”

The plan is to have the Chiefs in the new stadium by the start of the 2031-2032 season. Toland acknowledges the team leaving Arrowhead and Missouri is difficult for some fans.

“I’m an economic development professional,” said Toland. “I’ve been on both sides of winning deals and losing deals, and I know what it feels like both ways. I know this is tough for a lot of people in the region. I love Arrowhead as a venue. It’s an amazing place, but it’s time to go to the next level. That’s what we’re doing with this stadium project, with the headquarters and practice facility and these entertainment districts in Kansas. It’s making sure that the Chiefs remain best in class, that we’re growing the economy not just in Kansas but in the Kansas City metro, and we can have new opportunities to, among other things, finally realize Lamar Hunt Sr.’s dream of bringing a Super Bowl to Kansas City.”

When asked if he’s leading continued talks with the Royals, Toland declined to answer, saying they’re still focused on the Chiefs at this time.

For more stories on the latest stadium development news, click here.

Copyright 2025 KCTV. All rights reserved.

LAWRENCE, Kan. — Tre White and Flory Bidunga each had 18 points and eight rebounds as No. 17 Kansas used balanced scoring to beat Davidson 90-61 on Monday night.

Six players finished in double figures for the Jayhawks (10-3), including all five starters. Bryson Tiller added 11 points and Jamari McDowell scored 10. Melvin Council Jr. had 10 points, nine assists and seven rebounds.

Kohl Rosario provided 13 points off the bench as Kansas shot 58% from the field, including 11 for 21 (52%) on 3-pointers. The Jayhawks had 27 assists on 37 baskets and outrebounded Davidson 42-31. White nabbed four of the team’s 13 steals.

Roberts Blums was the only player in double figures for the Wildcats (8-4) with 13 points off the bench. Davidson was limited to 36% shooting from the floor and went 2 for 6 at the free-throw line.

Kansas played its second consecutive game without Darryn Peterson. The freshman star, who missed seven straight games earlier this season due to injury, is averaging 25 points in four games.

But the Jayhawks barely missed him.

Kansas led by 19 before Davidson went on a 10-2 run to trim it to 36-25. The Wildcats hit six straight shots during one stretch, though they never cut the deficit to single digits. When White hit his fourth 3 of the first half, the lead was back up to 46-26.

Kansas went to the locker room with a 51-30 cushion. The Jayhawks were led by White’s 16 points. Bidunga and Council each had 10.

The second half didn’t start much better for Davidson, as the Wildcats were outscored 7-2 in the first 2:51, leading coach Matt McKillup to exhaust his timeouts with 17:09 left.

Kansas wasted no time distancing itself from the overmatched Wildcats. When Bidunga threw down an alley-oop dunk with 13:03 left in the opening half, the Jayhawks already had stretched the lead to 17-6. Davidson didn’t reach double figures until 10:36 remained in the first half.

Up next

Davidson hosts Duquesne on Dec. 30.

Kansas is off until starting Big 12 play Jan. 3 at UCF.