Broncos on the brink of first AFC West title since 2015 after Christmas win in Kansas City

DENVER (AP) — Even after the Denver Broncos clinched a playoff berth earlier this month, coach Sean Payton kept insisting they hadn't accomplished any of their goals, which start with a division title and end with a Super Bowl parade.

They took a big step in that direction with a 20-13 win at Kansas City on Thursday night. Yet, even at 13-3, the Broncos haven't reached any of the goals they outlined in training camp.

That could change Saturday if the Los Angeles Chargers lose at home to the Houston Texans, giving the Broncos their first AFC West title since 2015.

Asked if that would be weird to clinch while sitting on the couch, Broncos coach Sean Payton laughed.

“No,” he said. "It will be relaxing, it will be nice.”

Either way, the Broncos likely will have to beat the Chargers (11-4) at home next weekend for the first time in four tries since Jim Harbaugh took over as LA's coach for Denver to clinch the AFC's No. 1 seed and first-round playoff bye.

A slip-up against the Chargers would send the Broncos tumbling all the way to the fifth spot in the AFC playoff field and put them on the road in the first round.

The Broncos' win at Arrowhead Stadium was their first in Kansas City since Sept. 17, 2015, but that wasn't on their minds.

“No, because those are someone else’s demons,” Payton explained. “I heard that all of the time in New Orleans, ‘You’ve never won a playoff game.' That’s not this team. You can’t fight those other demons.”

Rookie RB RJ Harvey caught a 1-yard touchdown pass with 1:45 left that proved the difference. It was his 12th touchdown. It came after Chris Jones' neutral-zone infraction on fourth-and-2 at the Chiefs 9 when the Broncos were planning to take a delay penalty and kick a field goal to break a 13-all tie.

“It was covered initially, then he climbed. He has receiver skill sets," Payton said. "... I couldn’t see the angle and I heard the cheer. I said, ‘Please tell me that isn’t an interception.' It was loud enough where I didn’t know if it was the Kansas City cheer. Fortunately, it was the Bronco cheer. I am sure it was a heck of a throw and catch.

"To score seven greatly changes the dynamic with their kicker. You know how the kicking game is. You are starting at the 35 average. It greatly changed the outcome of the game, that they needed a touchdown.”

The Broncos could use some help from the Texans. If Houston beats LA on Saturday, Denver has its first division crown in a decade and will get to host a playoff game.

C Alex Forsyth got a game ball after he filled in admirably for starter Luke Wattenberg, who went on IR with a shoulder injury. Last season at Kansas City, Forsyth was bowled over on a blocked field goal as time expired in a 16-14 loss at Arrowhead Stadium.

“I’ll tell you what was pretty impressive: Alex came in and played really well, got a game ball,” Payton said. "It was a tough trip home last year. It’s a little life lesson, for someone like him, to come back in a starting role. That was pretty cool.”

Bo Nix thought so, too.

“I am super happy for him. I would say no one prepares more in this league than he does," Nix said. "I think he is one of the most in-depth preparers I have ever seen. It is awesome to play behind him. I knew coming into this game and he was not going to leave any stone unturned. He prepares like no other, and he does his best to put the team in the best chance of succeeding.

"We all know what happened here last year and how much it hurt him and what it meant to him. It was a God wink that he got to come back here, start and play the full game and get our first win here in a long time. He has earned that, and he is well deserving of that game ball.”

At 13-3, there is not really anybody in Denver whose stock is slipping.

The Broncos are expected to be without Wattenberg for a month.

— 64 sacks by the Broncos this season, breaking the franchise record of 63 set last season.

— 23 wins by Nix is the second-most all-time by a quarterback in his first two years in the NFL. That mark (24) is held by Russell Wilson.

— 5 times Payton has posted a 13-win season, second only to Bill Belichick's seven. Payton did it in 2009, 2011, 2018 and 2019 with New Orleans.

“When I heard that, I had trouble figuring out which were the 13-win teams,” Payton said. "We had some other teams that were 12- or 11-win teams. I have been fortunate to have really good players and real good coaches. Some of them who are right here that have been a part of all of those wins, part of those wins. Obviously, Bill is good company. Let’s keep it going.”

It very well could come down to a winner-take-all showdown against the Chargers next weekend at Empower Field, where the Broncos are 7-1. The division title and, more importantly, the top seed in the AFC, could be at stake depending on the outcomes of the rest of Week 17 this weekend.

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Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix, left, throws a touchdown pass as Kansas City Chiefs safety Chamarri Conner defends during the second half of an NFL football game Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025, in Kansas City. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, right, talks to Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix following an NFL football game Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025, in Kansas City. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton talks to supporters following an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025, in Kansas City. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)

Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix acknowledges supporters following an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025, in Kansas City. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Denver Broncos linebacker Alex Singleton reacts during the second half of an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025, in Kansas City. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

WRIGHTWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Powerful winter storms brought the wettest Christmas season to Southern California in years, sending mud and debris sliding and half-filling homes with mud.

There was still a risk of more flash flooding and mudslides Friday despite slackening rain around Los Angeles, the National Weather Service warned.

“It’s not going to take a whole lot to create some hazards on the highways,” said Mike Wofford, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Los Angeles. “Still not quite out of the woods, but for the most part, the worst is over.”

Firefighters rescued over 100 people Thursday in Los Angeles County, with one helicopter pulling 21 people from stranded cars, officials said. LA police also responded to more than 350 traffic collisions, the mayor's office said.

In Wrightwood, a 5,000-resident mountain town about 80 miles (130 kilometers) northeast of Los Angeles, the roads turned into rivers when relentless rains came down Wednesday, residents said. On Friday, cars were still buried up to their windows in rocks, debris and thick mud.

Sherry Tocco's neighborhood was devastated, she said Friday. Several of her neighbors’ homes were destroyed, but her house was spared from mud and debris.

The river was raging and “then it just came through and destroyed, took everything with it,” she said.

A shed was washed down the road, and several others were strewn about. Firefighters helped her evacuate earlier this week and she slept in her car on Christmas Eve.

Tocco, who has lived in the area since 1965 and raised her kids there, said there's no reason to leave, even after the storms.

“Just keep shoveling, what else can I do?” Tocco said.

Most of the town lost power and many were buying fire starters, logs and propane for generators to keep warm, said Eric Faulkner, manager of Mountain Hardware.

“My phone's been nonstop of, ‘do you have this?’ or ‘can you help me with that?’" Faulkner said outside the store while it rained Friday.

Manny Simpson, a Wrightwood resident of 14 years, said the storms were the worst he's seen. His basement was flooded, but he was still counting himself lucky.

“I've seen some other houses and I feel good about what happened to me," he said.

Fire officials rescued several people from trapped cars earlier this week when mud and debris cascaded down a road into town. There was one injury reported.

In nearby the mountain town of Lytle Creek, raging waters destroyed a bridge Wednesday, cutting off a neighborhood to car traffic, resident Travis Guenther said. By Friday morning, he said, water subsided enough for people to walk across the debris.

Guenther and others were checking on neighbors Friday. One home had as much as 4 feet (122 centimeters) of debris piled up inside after mud blew through the front door earlier this week, he said.

“The guys are still trying to stay there but they can’t shut their doors,” he said. “They were stuck inside because there was a raging river on either side of them.”

Dozens of homes were in a similar situation. Another family started sleeping in their shed after mud filled their home, he said.

The system brought the wettest Christmas season to downtown Los Angeles in 54 years, the National Weather Service said. The area recorded 3 inches (7.6 centimeters) of rain in three days, while the mountain areas saw up to 12 inches (30.5 centimeters), Wofford said.

Forecasters expected a dry weekend before more rain around New Year's Eve.

Waves near the San Francisco Bay Area could reach up to 25 feet (7.6 meters) Friday, and many parts of northern California remained under a flood watch through Friday.

More wind and as much as 2 inches (5 centimeters) of snowfall an hour was expected in the Sierra Nevada, making mountain pass travel treacherous.

A falling tree killed a San Diego man Wednesday, news outlets reported. Farther north, a Sacramento sheriff’s deputy died in what appeared to be a weather-related crash. Heavy rain and flash flooding earlier this week in Northern California also caused at least one death, officials said.

Gov. Gavin Newsom declared emergencies in six counties to allow state assistance.

The state deployed resources and first responders to several coastal and Southern California counties, and the California National Guard was on standby.

Associated Press writers Trân Nguyễn in Sacramento, California, and Sophie Austin in Oakland, California, contributed.

Workers work to restore power after severe storms, Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025, in Wrightwood, Calif. (AP Photo/William Liang)

A car is flipped over along a storm-damaged road after a series of storms on Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025, near Phelan, Calif. (AP Photo/William Liang)

Mud covers the inside of a property after a series of storms on Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025, in Wrightwood, Calif. (AP Photo/William Liang)

Michelle Meyers inspects her property, buried in mud after a series of storms, Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025, in Wrightwood, Calif. (AP Photo/William Liang)

A car is buried in mud after a series of storms Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025, in Wrightwood, Calif. (AP Photo/William Liang)