2016 NFL Christmas Games Schedule & Predictions: KC Chiefs Looking to Trample Denver Broncos to Chase Oakland Raiders

By Carlo Monzon
Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs kicker Cairo Santos (5) celebrates with punter Dustin Colquitt (2) after kicking the game winning field goal at the end of the fourth quarter. The Chiefs defeated the Panthers 20-17 at Bank of America Stadium.  Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Prior to Week 15, the Kansas City Chiefs felt pretty secure about their playoff chances. However, this all changed after losing to the Tennessee Titans. Now, the Chiefs have found themselves in desperate need to defeat the Denver Broncos in order to catch up to the Oakland Raiders, who are currently leading the AFC West division.

The Chiefs' Week 15 loss to the Titans pushed back their record to 10-4. During the same time, the Raiders went up to 11-3 after defeating the San Diego Chargers. The recent win by the Raiders was certainly frustrating for the Chiefs especially since they won against them twice in the regular season, according to Denver Post.

But now, the Kansas City squad has found itself trailing behind Oakland in the AFC West division.

Because of this, the Chiefs have become more focused than ever to defeat the Broncos on Christmas day. At the same time, they're hoping that the Raiders will lose to the Indianapolis Colts. If these scenarios happen, the Chiefs will be able to enjoy an 11-4 record, which will put them toe-to-toe with the Raiders, who will also have the same win-loss standing.

In order to advance and claim the division title, the Chiefs will then have to defeat the Chargers and once again hope that the Raiders lose in their last game against the Broncos, which is unlikely to happen given the way Denver has been playing this season, despite entering the year as the defending Super Bowl champion.

Of course, if the Chiefs want to save their playoff hopes, they will have to avoid committing the same mistakes that occurred during the match against the Titans.

"We were awful on third down and didn't capitalize in the red zone," wide receiver Jeremy Maclin said about the game. "We could have put the game away much, much earlier, so we have nobody to blame but ourselves."

As for Broncos, the team has to come together on Sunday if they want to pull an upset over the Chiefs. Right now, the team is not looking good. As noted by Kansas City.com, members of the defensive and offensive lines got into a heated shouting match following their loss to the New England Patriots during the weekend.

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