A look at the Denver Broncos' 38-3 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in a meaningful AFC West finale:
What it means: It was a monumental day for both franchises, for very different reasons. After the Indianapolis Colts beat the Houston Texans earlier Sunday, the Broncos did their job by dismantling the Chiefs. Thus, Denver is the No. 1 seed throughout the AFC playoffs. Denver finished the regular season 13-3 and has won 11 straight games. It is the seventh time since the merger a team has ended the season with an 11-game win streak. All 11 wins came by seven points or more. Kansas City, meanwhile, ended its miserable season at 2-14. It earned the No. 1 overall pick in the April draft. Denver ended 6-0 in the AFC West. Kansas City was 0-12 against the AFC.
Firings in Kansas City? The end is probably near for first-year Kansas City coach Romeo Crennel. There are conflicting reports on general manager Scott Pioli's status. I think both will be gone.
Manning sets mark: Denver quarterback Peyton Manning made his final push for the NFL MVP award with a brilliant regular-season finale. Manning threw for 304 yards and three touchdown passes. He threw 37 touchdown passes this season. He set the NFL mark for quarterbacks 36 years or older for the most touchdown passes in a season.
Miller joins rare company: Denver linebacker Von Miller had a sack and finished with 18.5 sacks. He has 30 sacks in two NFL seasons. He became the fourth player in NFL history to register 30 sacks in his first two seasons.
Group effort on the ground: Denver running backs Lance Ball, Jacob Hester and Knowshon Moreno combined for 165 yards rushing. While Moreno had just 44 yards, the Broncos will take the group effort headed into the postseason.
Charles doesn’t do much: Kansas City running back Jamaal Charles had just 53 yards on 14 carries. But he did set a career high with 1,509 yards for the season. It was a brilliant campaign for a player coming back from a torn ACL.
What’s next: The Chiefs prepare for big changes and the top pick in the draft, while Denver takes a week off.