Game balls for the Broncos 20-13 win over the Chiefs in Week 17

The Denver Broncos moved to 13-3 on the season with a tough win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas night. As Head Coach Sean Payton said after the game, ‘It doesn’t have to be aesthetically pleasing to be effective’ and that is exactly right. Denver is now one win away from locking it all up and getting a much-needed week of rest heading into the playoffs.

Denver’s offense really didn’t struggle as much as people are saying. They controlled the ball for nearly 40 minutes and racked up 11/18 on third downs, while out-gaining the Chiefs 303-139 in total yardage. The game was close due to three significant plays that went Kansas City’s way: a tipped-drill interception, a very suspect defensive pass interference call on Pat Surtain, and a long return on special teams. Otherwise, the Broncos would have handily beaten their rival last night. It doesn’t matter anyway, a win is a win in the NFL and that’s what the Broncos came away with.

Here are Mile High Report’s game balls for the Broncos’ 20-13 victory against the Chiefs on Christmas night!

Bo Nix

I’m starting to understand that Bo Nix is a pretty damn good cook. He will look at a game and pick up the correct recipe to compete and to win. The Chiefs plays this game with the goal of forcing the Broncos to string together long drives to put up points. The goal there was clearly to keep the score low knowing that would give them the best chance to win. So Nix, while he struggled at times, dropped four scoring drives of 14-plays or more. Those drives ate up the clock and eventually put up the points necessary to come out with the win. He’ll get hate from the media for the apparent lackluster effort, but what I saw was a team that is just cooking up different ways to win games depending on what their opponent is throwing at them. – Tim Lynch

RJ Harvey

RJ Harvey gets my game ball this week. It was a sloppy game, but Harvey balled out. He had over 40 yards on 13 carries rushing, over 30 yards on 5 catches, and one touchdown catch. There’s room to grow for sure for this rookie, but he’s starting to shed tacklers, find open cut back lanes, and is a dangerous weapon in either facet of the offense. – Sadaraine

Second-round pick R.J. Harvey has a lot of room for growth, but tonight he had 19 touches for 77 yards and 1 touchdown. Harvey’s touchdown grab late in the fourth quarter cemented the Broncos’ big victory over the Chiefs. That was his 12th touchdown of his rookie campaign which leads all rookie skill position players. He now has over 850 all-purpose yards on the season. In big moments, Harvey has thrived and been a difference maker. He may not be Head Coach Sean Payton’s ‘Joker’ yet, but it’s clear Payton is utilizing him a lot like he did Alvin Kamara during his tenure with the New Orleans Saints. His future looks bright. – Chris Hart

Wil Lutz

On a night the offense struggled early in the red zone, Lutz came through. And with points at a premium that makes his field goals even more important. That allowed the Broncos to stay in the game. And when the offense finally got into the endzone, he made both extra points. With how inconsistent kickers are these days, having one in Lutz is huge. On top of that, his kickoffs didn’t result in any big returns, especially the final kick of the game. – Ian St. Clair

Jaleel McLaughlin

I’ve had this feeling for the last couple of weeks, but Jaleel McLaughlin is the best between-the-tackles running back on this roster, given the Dobbins injury. His vision is good, he finds the proper cut back lanes, and he is a lot better than Harvey at falling forward. I think the Broncos should look to him a few more times a game for their Inside Zone plays in particular. He helped keep the run game from completely sinking tonight.

It’s almost like he’s one of the best rushers in college history or something. – Ross Allen

Chris Jones

We have seen this before, and so I have to give out a gameball to Chris Jones. Don’t stop me if you heard this. In a pivotal moment in a “big” game, a Chiefs player is called for a penalty. Kadarious Toney was famously flagged on offense against the Bills in 2023, which helped Buffalo win that game. Jones had a roughing the passer against Tom Brady and the Patriots in an AFC Championship. Now he has an offsides in 4th and 2, which allowed Bo Nix to use a little more clock and throw a TD pass to RJ Harvey. A little snarky, but here’s your game ball Mr. Jones. – Adam Malnati

Alex Forsyth

Alex Forsyth played a heck of a game coming in for the injured Luke Wattenberg and playing against a guy like Chris Jones. – Joe Mahoney

Who gets your game ball for the Broncos-Chiefs game? Share in the comments section below.