Does the Broncos’ long losing streak to the Chiefs really matter?

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The losing streak carried by the Broncos against the Kansas City Chiefs is so long, no player in their locker room has been around for all of the defeats.

But Justin Simmons has seen 14 of them — 13 played, one on injured reserve. In four of those, he has an interception — three of which came off of Patrick Mahomes, including an end-zone theft during the most recent game in the series on New Year’s Day.

He’s seen all but the Nov. 15, 2015 defeat that started the streak. That was Peyton Manning’s final regular-season start — and also his worst. With plantar fasciitis mounting, Manning didn’t make it to the finish of that game. His passer rating that day was the dreaded Blutarsky: Zero point zero.

Who would have known on that grim afternoon that Manning’s finest comeback story was several weeks from unfurling?

But also, who would have known that two Presidents and a pandemic later, the Broncos would still be searching for their next win over the Chiefs? That it got so bad, that Frank Clark — the Chief-turned-Bronco edge rusher — said in July that he “wouldn’t call it a rivalry,” because a rivalry is “competitive”?

There are some common threads connecting the 15 losses, of course. But most of them are on the Chiefs sideline. The Broncos, meanwhile, seem to be in a never-ceasing state of flux, with few constants.

Simmons is one of them. But despite experiencing nearly all of the recent defeats to Kansas City first-hand, he dismisses the notion of the past influencing the present.

“I know it’s hard to think about on the outside looking in, but it’s a new team every year,” Simmons said. “I know, obviously, a lot of people want to talk about the streak and things like that.

“But the fact of the matter is, each and every year, there’s a new team, and as unfortunate as it is to have been a part of something like that, it’s new every year. It’s not like it’s the same team going up against each other for however many times in a row it’s been.

“So, it’s a new year. And obviously, a win would be great. But it would mean even more just with where we’re at in the season and how much we need it.”

Justin Simmons, on the 15-game losing streak to the Chiefs and its impact on this year: “I know it’s hard to think about on the outside looking in, but it’s a new team every year. I know, obviously, a lot of people want to talk about the streak and things like that….” pic.twitter.com/V6sHnGLyqJ

— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) October 11, 2023

And given the state of the Broncos’ season and the hole in which they find themselves …

“I would consider it a must-win,” Simmons said.

THE PERSPECTIVE OF SOME NEW BRONCOS

Mike McGlinchey knows all about the Chiefs from his time with the San Francisco 49ers. It was that team which snatched a Super Bowl ring off of his finger with a fourth-quarter rally in Super Bowl LIV.

But now, he’s all in with the Broncos. A team captain.

“Obviously, it’s a division rival, and these guys have been at the top of the division for years now, and I think there’s a little bit of a history of us not having a lot of success over the last couple of years,” McGlinchey said, practicing the art of understatement.

“And so we’re going to try change that as best as we can.”

But he, too, made a similar point as to the one Clark asserted in July.

“It provides a lot of challenge, a lot of excitement, because you can’t have a rivalry if it’s one-sided,” McGlinchey said. “So, we’ve got to do our part to make it a rivalry again.”

Marvin Mims Jr. hopes to play a role in flipping the trend. He could be a difference-maker Thursday night. But when the Broncos last defeated Kansas City, he was an eighth-grader.

“I mean, there’s a 15-game losing streak against any opponent, I think it would mean a little bit more, even though I haven’t been here; I’ve never experienced it,” Mims said.

Marvin Mims Jr., on whether the Broncos’ 15-game losing streak to the Chiefs matters Thursday night:

“I mean, there’s a 15-game losing streak against any opponent, I think it would mean a little bit more, even though I haven’t been here; I’ve never experienced it. …” pic.twitter.com/ANwU0cKaWn

— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) October 11, 2023

And while Mims hasn’t experienced the frustration of a defeat to the Chiefs — particularly the type of close games played by the teams in four of their last five contests dating back to December 2020 — the desire to help his new teammates reverse their fortunes is part of his motivational fuel.

“But just knowing the other guys that have been here — just go out there and fight for them, play as hard as I can …. every game that I go out there,” Mims said. “So, we’ll see what happens.”

Indeed, we will. Data says that despite the recent tight games between the teams, Kansas City’s attack will be far too much for a Broncos defense that spent the first five weeks of the season plumbing new depths.

But familiarity often brings teams with disparate fortunes to a place where their duels are tight. A place where a player like Simmons, who has never been a part of defeating the Chiefs, nevertheless makes big plays in defeat.

And while the games have been close recently, the outcome remains the same.

The streak does matter. It matters because it turned a rivalry that crackled with intensity into one that is — legitimately — not even called a “rivalry” any longer.

That’s how far the Broncos have fallen. Changing that is what’s at stake Thursday.

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