Chiefs-Broncos betting line & prediction: A playoff atmosphere at Mile High
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Chiefs visit Broncos in Week 11; Denver leads AFC West and could gain tiebreaker.
- Broncos defense ranks top three in yards and points, pressuring Chiefs' line.
- Coaches expect Mahomes-led Chiefs to rebound after bye and challenge Denver.
The Kansas City Chiefs continue their 2025 AFC West slate with their third division matchup — a road trip to face the Denver Broncos.
Kansas City fell to 5-4 with a 28-21 Week 9 loss to the Buffalo Bills before entering its Week 10 bye. Denver improved to 8-2 with a 10-7 Thursday night win over the Las Vegas Raiders.
How to watch Chiefs at Broncos
Kickoff: 3:25 p.m. Central
Where: Empower Field at Mile High in Denver
TV: CBS (Channel 5 in Kansas City)
Radio: KFNZ (96.5 FM in Kansas City, KNSS 98.7 FM in Wichita)
Betting line: Chiefs -3.5
Behind the KC-DEN matchup
Sunday’s matchup between the Chiefs and Broncos may not be a postseason game, but it’s sure to carry that kind of weight.
At 8-2, the Broncos have a golden chance to all but end the 5-4 Chiefs’ bid for a 10th consecutive division title, as a win would put three games of separation between the two teams in the loss column.
“If you lose this game, with them having the tiebreaker — and what would that be, four games ahead of us?” quarterback Patrick Mahomes said. “It’d be tough to go back and get that one. All you can do is just handle this week, that’s all you can really worry about. We still play a lot of great football teams, but like I said, I feel like if we play our best, we can beat anybody.”
Mahomes and company will have to do just that against a Broncos defense that ranks third in the NFL in both yards (179.5) and points (17.3) per game. As a team, Denver leads the league with 46 sacks, including a team-best 9.5 from outside linebacker Nik Bonitto. Bonitto’s presence put added focus on Kansas City’s left tackle position. As of Wednesday, head coach Andy Reid hasn’t committed to rookie Josh Simmons or veteran Jaylon Moore as the starter. Simmons has returned to practice after a four-game absence, but Moore has been steady in relief.
The Broncos have key injury concerns entering the game. Cornerback Patrick Surtain (the league’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year) has missed the last two games with a strained pectoral muscle. Denver’s tackles leader, linebacker Alex Singleton, underwent surgery Friday for testicular cancer and is out indefinitely.
Both the Chiefs and Broncos are likely to be without respective starting running backs Isiah Pacheco and J.K. Dobbins. Pacheco sprained his knee in Week 8 and has missed the past two games, and Dobbins hurt his foot last week during Denver’s win over the Raiders. Kareem Hunt and RJ Harvey are expected to start.
Kansas City’s defense will hope to rebound after allowing 28 points on the road in Buffalo. Even so, Steve Spagnuolo’s group still ranks in the top six in both yards (291.8) and points (17.7) allowed per game. After a 44-point outburst against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 8, Denver has scored just 28 combined points over its last two outings.
As is well known, Reid has been wildly successful after bye weeks in his 27-year career, posting a 22-4 record (.846 win percentage). A Chiefs win Sunday would end both Denver’s seven-game winning streak and its 10-game home winning streak, the longest active streak in the league.
The Broncos ended a 16-game losing streak to the Chiefs in 2023 and have split the series the last two seasons — including a 38-0 Denver win in Week 18 last year when Kansas City rested its starters.
Following Denver’s Wild Card loss to Buffalo last season, head coach Sean Payton said he “felt real good” about playing Kansas City had his team advanced. Payton will finally get that chance on Sunday.
Chiefs-Broncos game prediction
The Chiefs had been rolling before stumbling against Buffalo, so I think the bye week came at the perfect time. As good as the Broncos’ defense has been, it’s hard to bet against Reid off a bye. Look for Kansas City to reassert itself, injecting life back into the division race and leaving Denver to question its Super Bowl legitimacy.
Winner: Chiefs 24, Broncos 13 Pick to cover: Chiefs
This story was originally published November 13, 2025 at 5:30 AM.
