The Denver Broncos have officially dethroned the Kansas City Chiefs as the top team in the AFC West following a 20-16 victory by the Houston Texans over the Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday.
Earlier, the Broncos defeated the Chiefs on Thursday night, reaping the benefit of the Chargers’ loss. This marks the Broncos’ first Division I title since the 2015 season, which was also the last time they claimed the Super Bowl.
Kansas City had dominated the district, winning the title every year since 2016 when Alex Smith was still the starting quarterback. Even with Patrick Mahomes taking over, the Chiefs maintained their winning streak until now. This season has been particularly tough for Kansas City; they’ve struggled on both offense and defense, suffering from injuries and an inability to win close games. After losing to Denver, their record fell to 6-10.
Meanwhile, the Texans are still in the race for the AFC South title thanks to their recent victory. Quarterback CJ Stroud made two significant touchdown passes in the first quarter, connecting 75 yards to Jayden Higgins and 43 yards to Jaylin Noel.
On the defensive end, Houston’s team managed to disrupt Chargers’ quarterback Justin Herbert sufficiently. Herbert himself faced setbacks, throwing an interception near the goal line in the second quarter. Though the Chargers forced a turnover on the next drive, they couldn’t capitalize as Cameron Dicker missed a field goal attempt.
In the second half, the Chargers managed to secure the lead when Herbert threw a touchdown pass to Orondo Gadsden in the third quarter. Omarion Hampton followed that with a 5-yard touchdown run in the fourth, and from there, the Chargers controlled the game.
Herbert completed 21 passes out of 32 attempts for 236 yards and one interception, while he was sacked five times. Stroud, on the other hand, finished with 16 completion out of 28 attempts for 244 yards, two touchdown throws, and two interceptions.
This win for Houston also meant that the Indianapolis Colts were officially eliminated from playoff contention. It’s been a slippery slope for the Colts, who began the season strong at 7-1, but struggled without quarterback Daniel Jones after he injured his Achilles tendon.
