It all comes down to this. One game — a home game — for the Denver Broncos to make the AFC Playoffs for the first time since the 2015 season.
Denver will have its fate in its own hands in Week 18 against the Kansas City Chiefs in a “win and you’re in” scenario that puts them in the postseason with a victory. In order to do so, the Broncos will have to snap a 2-game losing streak and prepare for a team that won’t really look like the 2-time defending Super Bowl champions.
That’s because the Chiefs are 15-1 and locked up the No. 1 seed in the playoffs with a blowout win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Christmas Day. That means they will sit a good chunk of starters in the regular-season finale, including quarterback Patrick Mahomes. In his place will be backup Carson Wentz, a former No. 2 overall pick and NFL All-Pro.
Wentz also might not be the only quarterback the Chiefs need to prepare for.
“I’m told Mahomes is not going to play next week and Carson Wentz is gonna start,” Fox Sports senior writer Peter Schrager said on December 29. “And I’ll go one step further and say they’re going to elevate practice squad quarterback Chris Oladokun and he’s possibly going to get some snaps this week.”
Oladokun was a seventh round pick by the Steelers in 2021 out of South Dakota State and has won a pair of Super Bowls as a backup for the Chiefs over the last 2 seasons.
Injury Changed Trajectory of Wentz’s NFL Career
Wentz was the No. 2 overall pick by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2016 NFL draft — current Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff went No. 1 overall to the Los Angeles Rams — and was on a rocket ship trajectory to NFL stardom before his career went off the rails due to an untimely injury.
Wentz was the full-time starter for the Eagles as a rookie in 2016 and went 7-9. Wentz led the Eagles to an 11-2 record in his second season in 2017 and looked like one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks before he tore his ACL in Week 14.
Wentz watched as backup Nick Foles stepped in and led the Eagles to the first Super Bowl win in franchise history and was named Super Bowl MVP.
Wentz’s reputation took a big hit during the Super Bowl run when reports came out that Wentz and veteran running back Darren Sproles had to be physically separated after Sproles found out Wentz was telling teammates he wasn’t happy the Eagles were winning without him.
“We had some words… I had to make him realize, that you gotta be happy for the team,” Sproles said in 2022.
Wentz’s Descent to Journeyman Quarterback
While Wentz was still named an NFL All-Pro and Pro Bowler in 2017, his career was never the same — although he still cashed in with a 4-year, $128 million contract extension before the 2019 season.
Wentz was eventually traded to the Indianapolis Colts before the 2021 season, then traded from the Colts to the Washington Commanders before the 2022 season. The Commanders released Wentz after 1 season and he spent part of 2023 with the Los Angeles Rams before signing a 1-year, $3.325 million contract with the Chiefs in April 2024.
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Broncos Will Face Former No. 2 Overall Pick, $128 Million QB in Finale