NFL Sunday Week 17 – Watch Kansas City Chiefs vs Denver Broncos Live on CBS

Kansas City Chiefs vs Denver Broncos
When: Sunday, January 3, 2010 4:15 PM ET
Venue: Invesco Field at Mile High, Denver, CO

Kansas City Chiefs (3-12) vs Denver Broncos (8-7) Preview

First-year Denver Broncos coach Josh McDaniels is trying to avoid the type of late-season fade that cost predecessor Mike Shanahan his job. And he’s not afraid to bench his best offensive option to reach that goal.

With the surprising decision by McDaniels to bench Pro Bowl wide receiver Brandon Marshall, the Broncos head into their season finale against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday needing a win and some assistance to make the playoffs.

McDaniels has opted to sit Marshall, who strained a hamstring in practice earlier Wednesday and didn’t practice Thursday. It is the second time McDaniels and Marshall—the team’s leader with 101 receptions, 1,120 yards and 10 touchdowns—have clashed, with Marshall being suspended during training camp for insubordination.

While not directly addressing his decision, McDaniels did note other Broncos players are expected to play with injuries worse than Marshall’s. The wideout, claiming he didn’t want to escalate the controversy, responded that McDaniel didn’t understand how hard it is to play hurt since his coach never played in the NFL.

Things fell apart after that, with Denver dropping seven of nine while San Diego reeled off 10 straight wins to win its fourth consecutive division crown.

Denver’s postseason chances took a major blow last week. The Eagles’ David Akers connected on a 28-yard field goal with 4 seconds to play to send the Broncos to their third loss in a row, 30-27 at Philadelphia.

The Broncos now need considerable help, and there’s at least 10 different scenarios that can allow them to get into the playoffs. The simplest is if two of these three teams lose: Baltimore, Pittsburgh and the New York Jets. The Ravens travel to Oakland, while Pittsburgh plays in Miami and the Jets host Cincinnati.

Denver would need only one of those clubs to lose if it beats the Chiefs (3-12) and Houston defeats New England. The Broncos haven’t failed to reach the playoffs for four years in a row since the first 17 years of their existence, with 10 coming in the AFL prior to the 1970 merger.

The two teams last met in Week 13 this season wherein the Broncos completely overwhelmed the Chiefs in a 44-13 victory. Last week in NFL Week 16, Kansas City hung tough, but ultimately fell short in a 17-10 loss at Cincinnati while Denver rallied, but failed to complete the comeback in a 30-27 defeat at Philadelphia.

So, let’s all wait and watch Chiefs vs Broncos live Sunday Afternoon.

You can watch NFL Sunday Week 17 Game Kansas City Chiefs vs Denver Broncos Live at CBS.

UPDATE: Chiefs beat Broncos, 44-24 and deny Denver a playoff berth.

1 2 3 4 Total Kansas City 7 3 17 17 44 Final Denver 0 10 14 0 24

Game Recap

Josh McDaniels’ first season as Denver coach ended the same way Mike Shanahan’s last one did: with a late-season flop and an embarrassing blowout that wasted a strong start and kept the Broncos out of the playoffs.

Jamaal Charles ran for a Chiefs-record 259 yards on 25 carries and linebacker Derrick Johnson returned two interceptions of Kyle Orton passes for touchdowns in Kansas City’s 44-24 rout Sunday, their first victory in nine tries at Invesco Field.

For Denver it was eerily reminiscent of last season’s finale, when they were routed 52-21 by San Diego with a playoff berth on the line, a loss that led to Shanahan’s departure and McDaniels’ arrival. (Source: Yahoo! Sports)