Broncos aim to dominate Chiefs in Christmas night showdown in Kansas City

Denver (12-3) at Kansas City (6-9)

Thursday, 8:15 p.m. EST, Amazon Prime Video.

BetMGM NFL Odds: Broncos by 13.

Against the spread: Broncos 6-8-1; Chiefs 5-9-1.

Series record: Chiefs lead 73-58.

Last meeting: Broncos beat Chiefs 22-19 on Nov. 16 in Denver.

Last week: Broncos lost to Jaguars 34-20 in Denver; Chiefs lost to Titans 26-9 in Tennessee.

Broncos offense: overall (9), rush (18), pass (8), scoring (13).

Broncos defense: overall (4), rush (2), pass (10), scoring (5).

Chiefs offense: overall (13), rush (22), pass (9), scoring (20).

Chiefs defense: overall (10), rush (8), pass (12), scoring (4).

Turnover differential: Broncos minus-4; Chiefs minus-2.

WR Courtland Sutton needs 28 yards receiving to become the first Broncos player with back-to-back 1,000 yards seasons since Emmanuel Sanders (2014-16) and Demaryius Thomas (2012-16).

QB Chris Oladokun finished out last week's game against the Titans once Gardner Minshew joined Patrick Mahomes in tearing his ACL in consecutive weeks. Now, the former South Florida, Samford and South Dakota State quarterback — a seventh-round pick in 2022 — could make his first NFL start.

The Chiefs quarterback against the Broncos pass rush, which is the best in the league. They have 63 sacks, or 13 more than the second-place Falcons, and more than double what Kansas City (31) has had this season.

Chiefs: CBs Trent McDuffie (knee) and Jaylen Watson (groin) and WRs Nikko Remigio (knee), Rashee Rice (concussion) and Tyquan Thornton (concussion) missed practice this week. QB Gardner Minshew (torn ACL) went on injured reserve.

Broncos: LB Dre Greenlaw has been dealing with a hamstring injury. WR Pat Bryant (concussion), C Luke Wattenberg (shoulder), TE Nate Adkins (knee) have also been out. LBs Justin Strnad (foot) and Karene Reid (hamstring) were full participants this week.

The Chiefs won 16 consecutive games in the series beginning in November 2015 and ending in October 2023. But since then, the Broncos have won three of the past four, including their matchup earlier this season in Denver. Each of those three wins have come at home for the Broncos; they still have not won in Kansas City since Sept. 17, 2015.

Broncos QB Bo Nix is tied for the second-most victories over the first two seasons at his position with 22. ... Nix needs one TD pass to become the fourth QB in NFL history with at least 25 in each of his first two seasons. ... Two of Nix’s protectors earned their first Pro Bowl starting bids in G Quinn Meinerz and ninth-year veteran T Garett Bolles, who leads the league in pass-blocking efficiency and has yet to allow a sack this season. ... WR Courtland Sutton has moved into fifth in Broncos history with 6,226 yards receiving. ... Broncos LB Nik Bonitto needs one sack to joins Simon Fletcher as the only players in team history with at least 13 1/2 in back-to-back seasons. ... Chiefs TE Travis Kelce needs 46 yards to become the fastest at his position to reach 13,000 in NFL history. Kelce has caught a pass in 189 straight games, the longest streak in Chiefs history and longest active streak in the NFL. ... Chiefs K Harrison Butker has missed at least one PAT or FG attempt in eight of their 15 games. Kansas City was 1 for 9 on third down and finished with 133 total yards last week against the Titans. Nearly half of those yards were offset by 10 penalties for 59 yards.

Broncos RB R.J Harvey could have a huge day against a beaten-up Kansas City defense, one week after the Titans' Tony Pollard eclipsed 100 yards against it. The Chiefs offense has been decimated by injuries, which means they could be punting a lot, giving the Broncos the ball for long stretches. And if the game gets out of hand early — a distinct possibility — then it could be Harvey getting fed simply to run out the clock.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

Tennessee Titans running back Tony Pollard (20) gets past Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Kristian Fulton (8) as he runs the ball during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid watches during the second half of an NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/John Amis)

Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix, left, and Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) shake hands after an NFL football game in Denver, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

Denver Broncos running back RJ Harvey, left, runs against Jacksonville Jaguars safety Eric Murray (29) during the second half of an NFL football game in Denver, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

Federal judges on Tuesday temporarily blocked Alabama’s plan to use a new congressional map that could give Republicans an advantage in a key U.S. House race in the midterm elections.

A three-judge panel in the state’s long-running redistricting case issued the preliminary injunction that prevents the state, at least for now, from switching maps. It requires Alabama to continue using the same court-ordered districts under which congressional representatives were elected in 2024.

Lawyers representing Black voters in the state's lengthy redistricting case had sought the preliminary injunction, arguing the same panel in 2023 found the state map was intentionally discriminatory against Black voters. They also argued Alabama was creating chaos by trying to change lines in the middle of an election year.

The ruling was a defeat for state Republicans who want to use a map for the November midterms that will give the GOP a chance to reclaim the seat now held by Democratic U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures. However, the state could appeal the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The court order is the latest development in the twisting legal and political saga following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down a Black-majority district in Louisiana and weakened the federal Voting Rights Act. That ruling has led Republicans in several Southern states, including Alabama, to take steps to reshape voting districts with large minority populations that have elected Democrats.

The redistricting frenzy is part of a broader push by President Donald Trump to try to hold on to Republicans’ slim House majority in the November elections.

Other states also have considered adjustments to their primary elections to allow time for congressional redistricting after the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision affecting the Voting Rights Act. Louisiana’s congressional primaries, scheduled for May 16, were postponed until later this summer by Republican Gov. Jeff Landry so that state lawmakers could consider a new U.S. House map that would eliminate a majority-Black district.

In South Carolina, the Republican-led legislature considered a plan that would throw out the votes from its June 9 congressional primary and instead hold a new primary in August under revised districts that could improve Republicans’ chances of winning an additional seat.

Tennessee also moved quickly to enact new U.S. House districts after the Supreme Court’s ruling by carving up a Black-majority district based in Memphis that had elected the state’s only Democratic representative. The new map gives Republicans a chance to sweep all nine of the state’s seats. As part of the plan, Tennessee temporarily reopened the candidate qualifying period for its August congressional primaries, allowing new candidates to enter the race and existing ones to either switch districts or drop out.

Since Trump first urged Texas to redraw its U.S. House districts last summer, about a half-dozen Republican-led states have enacted new voting districts, though some still face legal challenges. Democrats countered with new districts in California and also expect to gain a seat from new court-imposed districts in Utah.

Travis Jackson stands outside the federal courthouse on Friday, May 22, 2026, in Birmingham, Ala. after a court hearing related to redistricting litigation. (AP Photo/Kim Chandler)