Broncos win first AFC West title in a decade, ending Chiefs’ reign, and eye No. 1 seed
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ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — The Denver Broncos won their first AFC West title in a decade Saturday when the Houston Texans beat the Los Angeles Chargers 20-16.
That means they’ll host their first playoff game since January 2016. They can wrap up the AFC’s No. 1 seed as early as Sunday, if the Patriots, Jaguars and Bills all lose or tie their Week 17 games.
The Broncos’ division title ended a nine-year run by the Kansas City Chiefs (6-10), whose run of seven consecutive AFC championship game appearances came to an end with an injury-riddled season that included a serious knee injury to Patrick Mahomes.
If the conference’s top seed is still in play after Sunday’s slate, the Broncos can clinch the top seed and the first-round by that comes with it by beating the Chargers (11-5) at home next weekend.
The Broncos (13-3) have lost all three games to the Chargers since Jim Harbaugh took over as their coach last season.
When the Texans won Saturday, the Broncos tweeted “AFC WEST CHAMPS” with a green checkmark next to Goal No. 1 and the message, “And we’re still climbing.”
After the Broncos clinched a playoff spot earlier this month, coach Sean Payton insisted several times that there was nothing to celebrate yet because they hadn’t reached any of their three goals:
1. AFC West title.
2. Highest playoff seed possible.
3. Super Bowl 60.
Asked after their 20-13 win at Kansas City on Christmas night if it would be weird clinching the division from the couch this weekend, Payton retorted, “No. It will be relaxing, it will be nice.”
Broncos quarterback Bo Nix was so focused on winning in Week 18 that he swore he wasn’t paying much mind to the Houston-L.A. game Saturday.
“At the end of the day, none of it really matters,” Nix said after Denver’s first win at Arrowhead since 2015. “We have to play the final game, and we have to take care of it. They (the Chargers) are going to be a good football team. Some other team could help us along the way, but at the end of the day, it is going to come down to us versus them. We are excited to have them at home.”
The Broncos are 7-1 at Empower Field at Mile High this year and have won 12 of their last 13 home games.
“It is going to be a really good environment and atmosphere,” Nix said. “It is honestly playoff atmosphere. It is going to be tough. I have not beaten them, but it is going to be a good nine days of preparation. On the tenth day, it will be all you have got for four quarters or however long it takes.
“We are excited about it. It will be good to have rest. It will be a good long weekend for us.”
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl