Christmas night brings a divisional game with high-stakes roster management as the Kansas City Chiefs host the Denver Broncos on Thursday Night Football.
The Chiefs entered the week with reshuffled key spots after placing multiple starters on injured reserve, while several others carried late illnesses or knee-related designations into game day. The Broncos’ list also reflects frontline absences across the offense and defense, tightening their rotation against a rival familiar with short-week adjustments.
With kickoff set for 8:15 p.m., final availability will hinge on pregame testing and the official inactive sheet 90 minutes before kickoff.
Inactive List for Chiefs vs. Broncos
The Chiefs will be without several key players tonight against the Broncos. However, Travis Kelce, in what might be the final home game of his NFL career, will be on the field. According to PFSN’s Offense Impact metric, Kansas City currently has the league’s 11th-ranked offense.
Here are the confirmed inactives for tonight’s game:
Kansas City Chiefs
Denver Broncos
- TE Nate Adkins
- WR Pat Bryant
- ILB Karene Reid (IR)
- C Luke Wattenberg (IR)
[More inactives will be added closer to the game.]
Starters for Chiefs vs. Broncos
Kansas City Chiefs
Offense:
Defense:
Special Teams:
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Denver Broncos
Offense:
Defense:
Special Teams:
Chiefs vs. Broncos Preview
The Chiefs’ inactives reshape perimeter roles and the secondary, putting added weight on Isiah Pacheco’s early-down efficiency and Kelce’s route leverage to sustain drives.
With multiple wide receivers on injured reserve, route distribution and personnel groupings will prioritize spacing concepts for Xavier Worthy and Hollywood Brown, with slot duties finalized after the active roster is set.
Defensively, the Chiefs’ pass rush leans on Chris Jones and Mike Danna, while illness designations for George Karlaftis, Derrick Nnadi, and Nick Bolton place pregame focus on rotational depth and snap management.
For Denver, Bo Nix’s timing with Courtland Sutton and Troy Franklin is central, but the loss of center Luke Wattenberg and tight end Nate Adkins complicates protection and middle-of-field sequencing.
Special teams and hidden yards should loom large on a short week. The headline statuses are straightforward: Rashee Rice remains out after being placed on injured reserve, while Kelce anchors Kansas City’s passing game as the offense adjusts around confirmed absences