For the 13th straight week, the Broncos remain on top of the AFC West standings. The Kansas City Chiefs, on a six-game winning streak, are on their heels.
Now down the final stretch, the Broncos, now No. 2 in the AFC, are in the hunt for the No. 1 seed and the Chiefs are looking for a possible wild-card path into the playoffs.
Here is how the division fared in Week 13:
Denver Broncos (10-2)
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Last outing:** W 17-3 @ Chargers (3-9)
Standouts: Essentially the entire defense. Inside linebacker Danny Trevathan recorded his first pick-six of the season, outside linebacker Von Miller tallied 2.0 sacks, the squad forced four fumbles and recovered two, and the list goes on. This defense could carry the team far into the playoffs.
Up next: The Broncos host the Raiders (5-7) for what should be a tough AFC West matchup with playoff implications for both teams.
- Allie Raymond
Kansas City Chiefs (7-5)
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The Broncos kept their three-game lead in the division with a win in San Diego, but Kansas City is still in the hunt after beating Oakland.
The Broncos opened the game with a bang, scoring a touchdown to cap their game-opening 76-yard drive. Demaryius Thomas had the touchdown, as well as a 21-yard gain in the series.
Chargers QB Philip Rivers had trouble finding his receivers against the Broncos, in part because Denver's defensive front was able to affect his throws by getting into the backfield. DE Malik Jackson wasn't able to get a sack, but he notched seven quarterback hurries, per Pro Football Focus.
ILB Danny Trevathan took an interception 25 yards to the house to put the Broncos up 14 points at the end of the first quarter.
Denver's secondary was a nightmare for the Chargers' receivers, who totaled just four receptions on eight targets.
The Broncos kept a two-touchdown lead for much of the game, though they couldn't build on it further. This interception nullified what could have been a game-sealing drive.
OLB Von Miller had a huge day, sacking Rivers twice and recording a fumble recovery on a fumble he forced. The 17-3 win gave the Broncos their 10th win of the season.
Kansas City has been one of the AFC's toughest teams recently with a five-game winning streak comign into Sunday's game, but the Raiders got on the board first with this scoring run by RB Latavius Murray.
Turnovers threatened to derail the Chiefs' hopes for a sixth straight win. TE Travis Kelce coughed up this one to safety Charles Woodson, giving the Raiders a chance to score with a minute left in the first half.
WR Michael Crabtree made good on that opportunity, reeling in a 25-yard reception for a touchdown to put Oakland up 14-7 at halftime.
After a third quarter in which the Raiders maintained their small lead, turnovers began to hit the Raiders' side. LB Josh Mauga picked off a Derek Carr pass intended for RB Ray Helu, and he returned it 66 yards to the Oakland 2-yard line.
Chiefs WR Jeremy Maclin scored a touchdown after Mauga's interception, and then another after another Carr interception on the following drive set up the Chiefs to start a drive at Oakland's 13-yard line.
Carr threw yet another pick in the fourth quarter -- his third in four drives to begin the quarter -- and this time Tyvon Branch returned it 38 yards for a touchdown. The deluge of takeaways for Kansas City caused a 21-point run to give them a 34-20 victory.
Last outing:** W 34-20 @ Oakland (5-7)
Standouts: Things didn't look so hot through three quarters for Kansas City. They had been able to keep it close with Oakland, but hadn't been able to stop their momentum. But in the fourth quarter, LB Josh Mauga, CB Marcus Peters and S Tyvon Branch each forced an interception on Raiders QB Derek Carr, with Branch's going for a touchdown. The first two led to touchdown catches by WR Jeremy Maclin, and the 21-point run by the Chiefs gave them their sixth straight victory.
Up next: Kansas City continues their divisional run with a home game against the Chargers (3-9).
Oakland Raiders (5-7)
Last outing: L 34-20 vs. Chiefs (7-5)
Standouts: As mentioned above, three interceptions in the Raiders' first four possessions of the fourth quarter doomed Oakland's hopes for ending the Chiefs' win streak. Until that point, Carr had been mostly mistake-free with two touchdown passes, and RB Latavius Murray had added 86 rushing yards with a touchdown. The Raiders held a six-point lead entering the final quarter, but miscues turned the tide in the Chiefs' favor.
Up next: Once again, the AFC West will all stay in the division, with Raiders venturing to Denver to take on the Broncos (10-2).
- Ben Swanson
San Diego Chargers (3-9)
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The Broncos rolled past the Chargers Sunday afternoon at Qualcomm stadium. These are the best shots from the win.
Last outing:** L 17-3 vs. Broncos (10-2)
Standouts: After snapping a six-game skid against Jacksonville in Week 12, the Chargers were unable to keep the momentum going against the Denver Broncos on Sunday. Quarterback Philip Rivers was held to his second-lowest passing yardage this season and struggled against Denver's defense to get any of his offensive threats into the end zone. The defense kept the game from getting too far out of reach with linebacker Denzel Perryman recording 10 tackles, safety Eric Weddle helping control the secondary with six tackles, linebacker Melvin Ingram sacking QB Brock Osweiler once and cornerback Jason Verrett intercepting Osweiler once.
Up next: The Chargers' schedule doesn't get any easier as they travel to Kansas City to take on divisional rival Kansas City (7-5).
- Allie Raymond
