Nix leads Broncos past Chiefs' reserves 38-0 and into playoffs for 1st time since 2015 season

DENVER (AP) — Bo Nix celebrated the end of Denver's eight-year playoff drought with a bunch of new friends.

The rookie quarterback circled Empower Field while handing out high-fives to fans after he passed for 321 yards and four touchdowns in a 38-0 rout of the Kansas City Chiefs’ bevy of backups on Sunday.

“I learned I’ve got to run a little more during the week because that’s a long lap," Nix said. “I was a little tired at the end. But the fans deserve it, it’s been a long time coming.”

Denver (10-7) buried nearly a decade’s worth of futility and frustrations by returning to the postseason party for the first time since winning Super Bowl 50 following the 2015 season.

The Broncos will visit Buffalo (13-4) for a wild-card game Sunday after handing the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs their first shutout since Dec. 16, 2012, at Oakland.

Nix went 26 for 29 while setting franchise records for completion percentage (89.7) and most completions to start a game (18).

“It's fun to clinch a playoff spot in the last game of the year against a divisional team,” said Nix, who also set an NFL record with 19 touchdown throws at home in his rookie season. "But now playoff time starts, and our goal wasn't just to make the playoffs, even though it hadn't been done in a while.”

Having already secured the AFC’s No. 1 seed and sole first-round bye in their quest for an unprecedented three-peat, Chiefs coach Andy Reid sat Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and a host of other starters.

“My hat goes off to Denver. Great opportunity for them to get into the playoffs and did a nice job today,” Reid said. “Sean (Payton) has done a good job with that group. A positive for us we got to play a lot of young guys. That experience is invaluable, especially against a good football team.”

Carson Wentz got the start at quarterback and fizzled in his first extended action since Week 18 with the Rams last season. He was 10 of 17 for 98 yards and was sacked four times by the league's best pass rush (62 sacks).

“We didn’t play great as a team. I didn’t play my best, either,” Wentz said. “Move on from this one pretty quick. It was fun to get out there, give myself and a lot of guys a chance to just go out there and compete. But obviously they were the better team today.”

Denver beat Kansas City (15-2) for just the second time in the last 19 games between the teams.

Nix's four TD passes gave him 29 for the season, second-most by a rookie in NFL history, behind only Justin Herbert's 31 in 2020. He hit Marvin Mims twice, Courtland Sutton (five times for 98 yards) and Devaughn Vele for scores.

Vele's TD was intended for Adam Trautman but ricocheted off cornerbacks Nazeeh Johnson (twice) and Keith Taylor before Vele cradled the catch just before tumbling out of the back of the end zone, extending Denver's lead to 21-0.

“Vele ran the wrong route,” Nix said, “but he didn't give up on the play. ... Actually, it was perfect. I'm glad he did exactly what he did and he got a touchdown out of it.”

That wild conclusion capped an 18-play, 89-yard drive that lasted more than 11 minutes, keeping Wentz cooling his cleats on the sideline next to Mahomes, who was decked out in a white hoodie.

“It felt like it lasted forever,” Payton said.

The Chiefs certainly concurred.

After Harrison Butker was wide left on a 51-yard field goal — his first miss in 18 tries at Empower Field at Mile High — Wil Lutz gave Denver a 24-0 halftime lead by nailing a 33-yarder with 3 seconds left that came right after Nix's first incompletion, to a wide-open Javonte Williams.

“I'll kick myself for a while for not going 19 for 19 and hitting Javon for a touchdown,” Nix said.

The Chiefs won't play again until Jan. 18 or 19, meaning Mahomes, who last played on Christmas Day, and other stars who sat this one out will have at least 24 days between games.

Denver's playoff drought was the longest for a team after raising the Lombardi Trophy by four years.

The Broncos' clincher came 3,255 days after Von Miller led them to a 24-10 win over the Carolina Panthers on Feb. 7, 2016, and their reward as the AFC's seventh seed is a trip to face Miller next weekend.

“Man, we look forward to the challenge,” Payton said.

The Bills were the only other team to beat Kansas City this season, 30-21 in Week 11.

The Chiefs' loss ended their six-game win streak but eliminated the prospect of them having to possibly face Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow at some point in the playoffs.

The Chiefs planned on staying in Denver for the night because of a winter storm that also delayed their flight into Colorado for several hours Saturday.

Chiefs DB Chamarri Conner (shoulder) was injured in the first half and didn't return. Also sitting out for Kansas City were RB Isiah Pacheco (ribs), RT Jawaan Taylor (knee), CB Jaylen Watson (ankle), WR Mecole Hardman (knee), DE George Karlaftis, CB Trent McDuffie and DT Chris Jones (calf), among others.

The Broncos head into the playoffs as healthy as they've been all season.

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Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is seen before an NFL football game against the Denver Broncos Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Carson Wentz throws during the first half of an NFL football game against the Denver Broncos Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Justin Watson (84) is unable to catch a pass as Denver Broncos cornerback Riley Moss (21) defends during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton (14) celebrates after catching a pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/Geneva Heffernan)

Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix waits for the snap during the first half of an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Denver Broncos wide receiver Devaughn Vele (17) celebrates after catching a touchdown pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Denver Broncos wide receiver Devaughn Vele (17) celebrates after catching a touchdown pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Denver Broncos outside linebacker Jonathon Cooper (0) celebrates after sacking Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Carson Wentz during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/Geneva Heffernan)

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Gunmen opened fire on a bus carrying Israelis in the occupied West Bank on Monday, killing three people and wounding eight others. Violence has surged in the territory since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack out of Gaza ignited the ongoing war there.

The shooting occurred in the Palestinian village of Al-Funduq, on one of the main east-west roads crossing the territory used by both Israelis and Palestinians. Israel’s military said two 70-year-old women and a 35-year-old policeman were killed. Widespread operations have been launched in the area looking for the attackers.

Palestinians have carried out scores of shooting, stabbing and car-ramming attacks against Israelis, especially during the past 15 months of the Israel-Hamas war. Israel has launched near-nightly military raids across the territory that frequently trigger gunbattle with militants. There has also been a sharp rise in attacks on Palestinians by Israeli settlers, leading the United States to impose sanctions.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to “reach the despicable murderers” behind Monday’s attack and “settle accounts with them and with everyone who assisted them. No one will be spared.”

Hamas praised the attack in a statement, but did not claim responsibility for it.

While there has reportedly been recent progress in long-running talks aimed at a ceasefire and hostage release, the war in Gaza rages on with no end in sight.

Separately on Monday, Ahmed al-Farra, director of the children’s ward at Nasser hospital in the southern Gaza City of Khan Younis said a 35-day-old infant froze to death inside his family’s tent in the humanitarian area designated by the Israeli military on Friday.

Gaza Health Ministry official Zaher Al-Wahidi said babies and most children can’t tolerate weather conditions when temperatures dip low as 3 degrees Celsius.

Aid groups say Israeli restrictions, ongoing fighting and a breakdown of law and order in many areas make it difficult to provide desperately needed food and other assistance, and there is a shortage of blankets and warm clothing.

There is little wood for fire and the tents and patched-together tarps families are living in have grown increasingly threadbare after months of heavy use.

The Palestinian Health Ministry says at least 838 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in the West Bank since the start of the war in Gaza. Most appear to have been militants killed in battles with Israeli troops, but the dead also include participants in violent protests and civilian bystanders.

At least 46 Israelis, including 19 soldiers, have been killed in violent attacks by Palestinian militants, according to the U.N.

Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war, and the Palestinians want all three territories for their future state.

Some 3 million Palestinians live in the West Bank under Israeli military rule, with the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority administering population centers.

Over 500,000 settlers with Israeli citizenship live in well over 100 settlements across the territory, ranging from small hilltop outposts to sprawling communities that resemble suburbs or small towns. Most of the international community considers the settlements illegal.

The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed across the border in a massive surprise attack nearly 15 months ago, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting around 250. Some 100 hostages are still inside Gaza, at least a third of whom are believed to be dead.

Israel’s air and ground offensive has killed over 45,800 Palestinians in Gaza, according to local health authorities, who say women and children make up more than half of those killed. They do not say how many of the dead were militants. The Israeli military says it has killed over 17,000 fighters, without providing evidence.

Associated Press writer Melanie Lidman in Jerusalem and Fatma Khaled in Cairo contributed to this report.

Follow AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

A man surveys the damage at a home after a rocket fired by Palestinian militants from Gaza Strip hit in the town of Sderot, southern Israel Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov)

Mourners attend the funeral of three members of Imad Al-deen family who were killed in the Israeli bombardment in Bureij, central Gaza Strip, at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Mourners attend the funeral of three members of Imad Al-deen family who were killed in the Israeli bombardment in Bureij, central Gaza Strip, at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

A man surveys a damaged home after a rocket fired by Palestinian militants from Gaza Strip hit in the town of Sderot, southern Israel Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov)

Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip, as seen from Sderot, southern Israel, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov)

An Israeli army flare is seen over the Gaza Strip, as seen from Sderot, southern Israel, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov)

Israeli policemen block a main road after gunmen opened fire on cars and a bus carrying Israelis in the occupied West Bank, killing at least three people, near the Palestinian village of Al-Funduq, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)