The Cincinnati Bengals are not one of those teams, seeing their playoff hopes fade away after the Broncos blew out the Chiefs’ second-stringers in Week 18. Amid unfounded rumors that the Chiefs purposefully gave up during their loss to Denver to ensure the Bengals would be eliminated,

Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce denied that the team intentionally lost its Week 18 game to ensure that the Cincinnati Bengals were eliminated from playoff contention.

Bengals cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt then caught wind of that and sent a reply during his Instagram stories: It’s all silly noise, really. But if nothing else, it shows that this rivalry is alive and well, no questions asked. Read all the best Bengals coverage at Cincinnati.com and Bengals Wire.

On Sunday afternoon the Kansas City Chiefs looked very much like a team that had already clinched the No. 1 seed in the AFC and was resting its starters. With star quarterback Patrick Mahomes, tight end Travis Kelce,

See what all of the #Chiefs’ stars wore to Mile High Stadium ahead of Kansas City’s Week 18 matchup against the Denver #Broncos.

The Kansas City Chiefs are in action for Week 18, but you’ll notice that Andy Reid is sending out a new-look squad for Sunday’s game against the Denver Broncos. Star players like Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Chris Jones were listed as inactive for the game against their AFC West rivals, and the reason for that is simple:

Kelce's absence wasn't the only one felt on Sunday for the Chiefs. Kansas City was blown out 38-0 in a game that felt way out of reach early. Peyton Hendershot and Noah Gray were the two tight ends that attempted to fill the void for Kelce. They combined for three catches and 26 yards.

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce addressed the controversial rumors of an intentional loss to the Denver Broncos to avoid a potential meeting with Joe Burrow's Cincinnati Bengals in the 2025 NFL playoffs.

The Bengals closed the campaign with five straight victories and could have featured the league's MVP winner for the regular season had they made the playoffs.

Discover the details behind the Kansas City Chiefs' controversial Week 18 loss to the Denver Broncos and Travis Kelce's bold response to the criticism.