The Broncos only have 16 total giveaways this season — the 10th-fewest — and Nix is consistently very careful with the ball. Another game of lackadaisical ball handling, though, could give the Chiefs just the sliver of daylight needed to kick the door open and upset the Broncos.

Preview the Kansas City Chiefs' NFL Week 17 matchup with the Broncos, including live stream, TV channel, odds, and game information.

USA Today's NFL experts make their picks for a Week 17 showdown between the Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos

Josh Simmons, Wanya Morris, and Jawaan Taylor are all on injured reserve, which puts the Chiefs' fourth and fifth-string tackles into the starting lineup. This doesn’t bode well for them against a Broncos defensive front that is chasing the single-season sack record and will need a huge game to break it.

This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: Broncos injury report: 5 players ruled out for 'TNF' vs. Chiefs The Denver Broncos have ruled out five players ahead of their Thursday Night Football showdown with the Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas Day.

Broncos defense: overall (4), rush (2), pass (10), scoring (5). Chiefs offense: overall (13), rush (22), pass (9), scoring (20).

With both Patrick Mahomes and Gardner Minshew out due to knee injuries, the options at quarterback for the home team are Chris Oladukon and Shane Buechele. And the Chiefs are 6-9. And the Broncos are 12-3. As a result, the Broncos are currently favored by 13.5 points.