But a loss opens the door for the two other AFC teams in the hunt, the Cincinnati Bengals and Miami Dolphins. If both of those teams win in Week 18 and the Chiefs beat the Broncos, the Dolphins will be the No. 7 seed in the AFC. Denver is 9-7. The Dolphins and Bengals are 8-8.

Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix, right, rolls out of the pocket against the Kansas City Chiefs during the teams’ NFL Week 18 game at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver on Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025. Isaiah J. Downing Imagn Images

Grant Halverson/Getty Images The first round of the NFL postseason kicks off this weekend with Wild Card Playoffs in both the AFC and the NFC conferences — but the reigning Super Bowl champs will not be playing a game.

Even with a sloppy Week 18 performance, the Kansas City Chiefs have clinched the No. 1 seed in the AFC. With all their starters on the bench, the Chiefs were shutout in just their second loss of the season by divisional rival Broncos,