Nix leads Broncos past Chiefs, Bengals eliminated from playoff picture

DENVER (AP) — Rookie Bo Nix set a franchise record by completing his first 18 passes and the Denver Broncos ended an eight-year playoff drought Sunday with a 38-0 rout of the Kansas City Chiefs' bevy of backups. The Broncos (10-7) snapped a two-game skid and buried nearly a decade's worth of futility and frustrations by returing to the postseason party for the first time since winning Super Bowl 50 following the 2015 season. They'll visit Buffalo (13-4) in the wild-card round next weekend after handing the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs (15-2) their first shutout since Dec. 16, 2012, at Oakland. Having already secured the AFC's No. 1 seed and sole first-round bye in their quest for an unprecedented three-peat, Chiefs coach Andy Reid sat Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and a host of other starters. Carson Wentz got the start at quarterback and fizzled in his first extended action since Week 18 with the Rams last season. He was 10 of 17 for 98 yards and was sacked four times by the league's best pass rush (62 sacks). Nix threw for four touchdowns, giving him 29 for the season, second-most by a rookie in NFL history, behind only Justin Herbert's 31 in 2020. He finished 26 of 29 for 321 yards, and his 18 consecutive completions also were the most ever by a Broncos QB. Nix hit Marvin Mims twice, Courtland Sutton (five times for 98 yards) and Devaughn Vele for scores. Vele's TD was intended for Adam Trautman but ricocheted off cornerbacks Nazeeh Johnson (twice) and Keith Taylor before Vele cradled the catch just before tumbling out of the back of the end zone, giving Nix 17 consecutive completions at that point and extending Denver's lead to 21-0. That wild conclusion capped an 18-play, 89-yard drive that lasted more than 11 minutes, keeping Wentz cooling his cleats on the sideline next to Mahomes, who was decked out in a white hoodie. After Harrison Butker was wide left on a 51-yard field goal — his first miss in 18 tries at Empower Field at Mile High — Wil Lutz gave Denver a 24-0 halftime lead by nailing a 33-yarder with 3 seconds left. The Broncos made it 31-0 on Mims' second TD catch late in the third quarter and Audric Estime punched it in from the 1 in the fourth quarter. The Chiefs won't play again until Jan. 18 or 19, meaning Mahomes, who last played on Christmas Day, and other stars who sat this one out will have at least 24 days between games. The Broncos are back in the playoffs for the first time since winning Super Bowl 50 after the 2015 season. That's the longest playoff drought for a team after raising the Lombardi Trophy. The Broncos' clincher came 3,255 days after Von Miller led them to a 24-10 win over the Carolina Panthers on Feb. 7, 2016, and their reward as the AFC's seventh and final seed is a trip to Buffalo next weekend to face Miller in the first round of the playoffs. The Bills were the only other team to beat Kansas City this season, 30-21 in Week 11. The Chiefs' loss ended their six-game win streak but eliminated the prospect of them having to possibly face Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow at some point in the playoffs. The Bengals, who won their fifth consecutive game Saturday night at Pittsburgh, needed Denver to lose to have a chance to sneak into the playoffs at 9-8. The Chiefs, who had won 17 of their previous 18 games against the Broncos, were planning on staying in Denver for the night because of a winter storm that also delayed their flight into Colorado for several hours Saturday. Injuries Chiefs DB Chamarri Conner injured a shoulder in the first half and was ruled out at the start of the third quarter. Also sitting out for Kansas City were RB Isiah Pacheco (ribs), RT Jawaan Taylor (knee), CB Jaylen Watson (ankle), WR Mecole Hardman (knee), DE George Karlaftis, CB Trent McDuffie and DT Chris Jones (calf), among others. The Broncos came out of the game healthy. WR Lil'Jordan Humphrey left briefly with an ankle injury in the first half but only missed a few snaps. Up next Chiefs: A first-round bye as they get healthy for the AFC divisional round Jan. 18-19. Broncos: A visit next weekend to Buffalo for a wild-card game against the Bills. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl