Chris Oladokun warns Bo Nix and Broncos ahead of first NFL start with Chiefs on Christmas

Chris Oladokun’s first real experience on an NFL field has been anything but memorable. After struggling to get anything going in Week 16, Oladokun and the 6–9 Kansas City Chiefs are gearing up to take on Bo Nix and the 12–3 Denver Broncos. With nothing left to play for other than the chance to knock their AFC West rivals off track, the Chiefs’ quarterback sent a strong message.

In the blink of an eye, the Chiefs have gone from boasting Patrick Mahomes at quarterback to having Gardner Minshew under center, then signing Chris Oladokun off the practice squad to address a glaring hole at the most important position in the NFL. Needless to say, it’s been a character-testing stretch for Kansas City.

Although results haven’t gone their way, the reigning AFC champions are still confident they can give any team a run for their money. Oladokun certainly thinks so, as he put Nix and the Broncos on notice with a blunt warning shot.

“It’d be a great Christmas,” Oladokun said on potentially playing spoiler in Week 17, via A to Z Sports’ Charles Goldman. “We know we’re facing a great opponent. We definitely have our hands full, but I feel like we’ve got a good plan to go out and play spoiler.”

Bo Nix quarterback of the Denver Broncos

Oladokun and Broncos meet again

Though it flew under the radar at the time, Oladokun made his first NFL appearance last season. It came in Week 18, when the Chiefs visited the Broncos in a game with massive playoff implications for Denver but none for Kansas City, which had already clinched the No. 1 seed in the AFC.

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The Chiefs rolled out a lineup made up almost entirely of second-stringers—and beyond. In that context, Oladokun saw the field for a handful of snaps. He threw no passes and only rushed once for a five-yard gain.

There was little he could do, however, as the Broncos blew the Chiefs out of the water in a 38–0 win. This time around, the scenario presents both similarities and differences. Nix and company could secure the top seed and home-field advantage with a win and some help elsewhere.

On the other hand, the Chiefs are already eliminated from playoff contention. Though in a very different context, Kansas City is once again without Mahomes in a game with little at stake as it faces a red-hot Denver squad fighting for its postseason. Still, Oladokun has promised Reid to seize the opportunity as he eyes a spot with the Chiefs in 2026.

Broncos looking to break 10-year hex

With the Broncos having defeated the Chiefs earlier in the 2025 NFL campaign, Denver now has a chance to sweep the season series for the first time in over a decade. The last time the Broncos beat Kansas City twice in the same season was in 2014.

That year, Denver fell to the Indianapolis Colts in the Divisional Round of the playoffs. If there is a silver lining, however, it’s that the Broncos went on to hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy the following season.