Outrage Erupts as NFL Fans Accuse Chiefs of Deliberately Losing to Block Bengals from Playoffs

Week 18 represented a dead rubber match for the Chiefs, whose duel with the Broncos meant very little to them and very much to their opposition.

Andy Reid’s side responded in kind, sitting stars Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Chris Jones, and Trent McDuffie, among others. By comparison, Denver came out firing, with Sean Payton entrusting rookie QB Bo Nix to lead his side to victory lane — and the playoffs.

Nix’s exploits worked a treat for the Broncos, who downed their divisional opponent, 38-0, to punch their ticket to the postseason.

The result had an equal and opposite effect on the Bengals, whose only chance for a postseason berth coincided with a Denver defeat. With Payton’s side leaving little doubt in the game, Cincinnati was relegated to an early offseason.

The nature of Sunday’s showing had some wondering if the Chiefs minded losing. Some cynics even accused Kansas City of “taking a dive” in the hopes of keeping the 9-8 Bengals out of the playoffs.

Did the Chiefs take a ‘dive’?

ESPN writer Don Van Natta Jr. leveled the “diving” accusation on the Chiefs after they fell so dramatically to the Broncos.

“The Chiefs taking a dive today is a lowlight of this NFL season,” Van Natta wrote on X, the website formerly known as Twitter. “Whether their incentive was only rest or also blocking the dreaded Bengals from the playoffs, it’s just a supremely bad look— and likely self-sabotaging— for a team hoping to three-peat.”

Robert Griffin III echoed this sentiment on his X account:

Cincinnati needed a Broncos defeat to secure the seventh and final spot in the AFC postseason race. With Denver’s win, the Bengals were formally eliminated from playoff contention.

Van Natta’s assertion is a bizarre one. Kansas City wasn’t the only team to rest starters in Week 18. The Bills, Eagles, Rams, and Texans all handed their backups significant minutes. Why would the Chiefs — with two Lombardi Trophies glistening in the distance and the NFL’s best record — jeopardize that in a meaningless matchup for them?

The Broncos played a role in the result, as well. Sean Payton’s bunch had an incentive to win big. Denver played the Chiefs tough in their earlier meeting, only dropping the contest after Wil Lutz’s potential game-winner was swatted away at the horn. That would seem to indicate the Broncos are a talented side. Is it surprising that talent shined through when jostling with backups?

Then there’s the Cincinnati side of the equation. Van Natta’s premises relies on one basic truth — Kansas City is “afraid” of the Bengals. The data doesn’t seem to bear that out. Yes, the Bengals have beaten the Chiefs in the playoffs in the past, but Cincinnati has a porous defense this year, ranking 29th in the league in defensive DVOA. Would the Chiefs — or any other true contender, for that matter — shiver in their boots at such a sight, especially after Kansas City beat the Bengals earlier this season?

Suffice it to say, social media had all sorts of responses to Van Natta’s query.