Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
It’s been awhile since the Denver Broncos/Kansas City Chiefs rivalry was relevant to everyday NFL fans. Back at its height in the 1990′s, Broncos/Chiefs was one of the best rivalries in the game. There were of course the legendary showdowns between Joe Montana and John Elway in the early part of the decade, and then many other great battles later in the decade when the Broncos went on to win two straight Super Bowls. But as of late, the rivalry hasn’t really existed outside of both fan bases.
The reason why the buzz isn’t there is simple – both teams haven’t been consistently good for awhile. The Broncos clearly have things going now after several years of mediocrity, but the Chiefs haven’t had any success outside of one playoff berth in the last six seasons.
Now with Andy Reid and Alex Smith taking over in KC, the Chiefs’ stock has gone up dramatically. With a roster full of talent, there’s no reason to think they can’t turn things around in a big hurry with the new regime. The AFC is going to be wide open outside of the top two or three spots, which means teams like Kansas City are in good position for a run at a wild-card spot.
I’m certainly not saying the Chiefs are back to the extent of competing with Denver for the AFC West crown, but their games against each other should become ultra-competitive again. There’s a lot more buzz surrounding KC than there has been in a long time, and that will translate to the field. Chiefs’ fans are excited again, and there’s no way they’ll dread playing Denver like they did in week 17 last year.
Broncos/Chiefs getting taken up a notch is a good thing for the NFL.
Follow Andrew Fisher on Twitter
