The Denver Broncos were absolutely dominated by the Kansas City Chiefs for eight years following Peyton Manning’s retirement from the NFL.
Kansas City beat the Broncos in 16 straight games from 2015-2023 before Denver finally snapped that losing streak with a big upset win in Week 8.
It was easy to spot what finally beating the Chiefs meant to the Broncos based on the reactions of players on Sunday afternoon.
Denver safety Justin Simmons (who joined the team in 2016) and left tackle Garett Bolles (who joined the team in 2017) are the club’s two longest-tenured players. These photos sum up what beating KC meant to them.
“It feels great, man,” Bolles said after the game. “You know, they’re a great team. They have a great culture of winning. I don’t think we have been, what eight years or something like that since we’ve beaten them. The crowd was electric. We got the job done today. And you know, just one game at a time, man.”
Bolles, 31, struggled early in his career and has since turned things around to now be counted among the team’s best offensive linemen.
“You cherish these moments, you know? You don’t get these types of moments all the time. You know, I’ve been in this organization [for a while]. I’ve sweated; I’ve bled. I love this organization more than anything. My family has grown up here. So for us to win a big game like that and knowing that there’s an opportunity to play in bigger games, you know, God is good.”
Simmons was also clearly relieved to have finally beaten KC, but he downplayed the streak in the locker room after the game.
“It feels good to win at home,” Simmons said. “I think for me, I get from the outside looking in, you look at it as a fan base and things like that, that there is this streak and everybody wants to talk about it. But literally, each and every year, it is a new team. It is a new head coach, a new staff in general. You come into this, like I told you guys heading into this week, we’re only 0-1 (against the Chiefs this season). We lost to them on Thursday night two weeks ago, and we’re coming into this game expecting to win.
“It’s a new team, it’s a new look, and that is kind of how it is. I know some guys have been here, myself obviously the longest, have been here and have faced them multiple times, but it is a new team. It is a new year, and that is kind of the mindset you have to have going into it. Really happy we won. That is a heck of a team, we know that watching them. It just feels good to win.”
First time that Justin Simmons and Garett Bolles (longest-tenured Broncos) have beaten the Chiefs. pic.twitter.com/qd5ZDp7fKG
— Jon Heath (@ByJonHeath) October 30, 2023
Denver is now 1-1 against Kansas City under new head coach Sean Payton, and the current one-game winning streak is now on the Broncos’ side. May the (new) streak continue.
