Dan Orlovsky Declares That Chiefs’ Reign in the AFC West Is over Following Loss to Broncos

The Kansas City Chiefs are 5-5 for the first time since 2015, which is also the last season when the Chiefs haven’t been the AFC West champions.

Dan Orlovsky Declares That Chiefs’ Reign in the AFC West Is over Following Loss to Broncos

Dan Orlovsky in circle and Patrick Mahomes (Image via Imago/X)

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The Denver Broncos steered past the reigning AFC West champions Kansas City Chiefs, at Empower Field at Mile High Stadium in Denver on Sunday. The Broncos defeated the Chiefs 22-19 and secured their ninth win of the season, ensuring a winning season.

The victory also meant that the Denver Broncos are one step closer to winning their first title since 2015, when Peyton Manning and company won Super Bowl 50. It also means the Kansas City Chiefs’ nine-year divisional championship streak might stop this time. The AFC West crown has remained in the Chiefs’ showcase since they ended the Broncos’ five-year run with a 12-4 record in 2016.

As per Next Gen Stats, the Chiefs barely have a two-digit chance to still win the division despite having at least one game against each of their division opponents. ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky also examined the numbers, and his conclusions echoed exactly what the stats were saying.

The former Detroit Lions quarterback said that the loss at the hands of the Broncos also meant that the Chiefs’ reign as invincible champions of the AFC West is over.

Here’s the reality of where the Chiefs are: they’re a mediocre football team right now. They’re a mediocre football team… It’s a very real conversation of, ‘Are they going to get into the playoffs?’ So yeah, the reign in the West is over.

Dan Orlovsky said on First Take

He pointed out that the Chiefs aren’t able to win these close games like they did last season. The Chiefs won 12 single-score games last season, and the picture has shifted to 0-5 in such games this year. Orlovsky highlighted that the absence of a winning mentality has made the Chiefs look tame to the opposing teams, like they aren’t dangerous anymore.

The AFC playoff landscape grows even more heated with the Ravens and Texans joining the Chiefs in hunt

The Kansas City Chiefs’ loss set them back and pushed them to the ninth spot in the conference after a few results went the other way. In Week 11, the Houston Texans edged out the Tennessee Titans at the Nissan Stadium in Nashville to secure their fifth win of the season.

Davis Mills
Davis Mills (Image via Associated Press)

Davis Compton Mills, starting in his second game of the season, charged the Texans to a 16-13 win and moved up to the eighth spot in the conference. Mills threw 26-of-41 for 274 yards and a touchdown, while Matthew Wright converted all three of the field goal chances to points. In another fixture on Sunday, the Baltimore Ravens also secured their fifth win of the season against the Cleveland Browns at Huntington Bank Field.

The Ravens, despite a weak performance by Lamar Jackson, managed to defeat the Browns. Meanwhile, Derrick Henry recorded his fourth game this season with more than a hundred yards on the ground, with 103 yards from 18 carries. He and Mark Andrews rushed for a touchdown each and helped the team edge past the Browns. The disheartening performance by the Browns’ offense also helped.

There are three teams in the AFC with a 5-5 record, starting with the Texans at the eighth position, followed by the Chiefs and the Ravens. The Chiefs and the Texans have a hard path to the playoffs compared to the Ravens.

The Denver Broncos are currently the AFC conference leaders. The Broncos are closely followed by the New England Patriots (AFC East), the Indianapolis Colts (AFC South) in the battle for the conference seed. The Pittsburgh Steelers of the AFC North took the fourth and final seed for the division leaders.

In the wildcard places, the Buffalo Bills and the Los Angeles Chargers take the first two spots. The Bills secured a resounding win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday and rose to 7-3. Meanwhile, the Jacksonville Jaguars made the Los Angeles Chargers drop points and cemented their spot as the final wildcard team.

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