Doesn't every Denver Bronco fan hate the Kansas City Chiefs?

Dating back to their days in the AFL, the Chiefs have been one of Denver's biggest rivals. This will mark the 99th time these two teams have met in their storied histories, and the Chiefs hold a 53-45 edge overall in the series, despite the fact that the Broncos have won three of the last four.

Still, in spite of these two teams having one of the most storied rivalries in all of professional sports, the real reason a Denver Bronco fan should hate the Chiefs can be pointed at a Week 4 matchup from 2008 that completely killed the Broncos' momentum.

After Denver started the season 3-0, they went into Arrowhead with the mindset that they were going to lay 50 points on the lowly Chiefs. Instead of a Bronco blowout, Larry Johnson and the Chiefs dominated the Broncos at the line of scrimmage, and ended their win streak to start the season with a 33-19 crushing on their home turf.

The Broncos went on to lose seven of their final 13 games, and what would be one of the most epic collapses in NFL history.

And it can all be traced back to that Week 4 contest. Denver's momentum was deflated, and their confidence was shaken to the point of no return.

Their season essentially ended on that fateful day at Arrowhead.

That cannot happen two years in a row. The Broncos got a well-deserved break after their Thanksgiving victory over the New York Giants, and after blowing a 3 1-2 division game lead to the San Diego Chargers recently, they hold a slim lead in the wild card playoff race.

This game may potentially be the most important for the Broncos' playoff hopes. A slip-up against the Chiefs with games still looming against Indianapolis and Philadelphia, and the Broncos may kiss the playoffs goodbye.

Still, I believe this disciplined Denver team will come away from Kansas City, a very tough place to play in the month of December, with a resounding victory.

--- SAYRE BEDINGER.