DENVER – Rookie Bo Nix set a franchise record with his first 18 passes and the Denver Broncos ended an eight-year playoff drought with a 38-0 win over the relieved Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.

The Broncos (10-7) slipped after two games and buried the futility and frustration of nearly a decade by returning to the postseason party for the first time since winning Super Bowl 50 after the 2015 season.

They face Buffalo (13-4) in the wild-card round next weekend after handing the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs (15-2) their first shutout since Dec. 16, 2012 in Oakland.

Having already secured the No. 1 seed and the only first-round bye in search of an unprecedented three-peat in the AFC, Chiefs coach Andy Reid inserted Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and a host of other starters.

Carson Wentz started at quarterback and failed in his first extended outing 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).

Nix threw four touchdowns, giving him 29 for the season, the second-most by a rookie in NFL history, behind only Justin Herbert’s 31 in 2020.

He finished 26 of 29 for 321 yards and his 18 consecutive completions were also the most ever by a Broncos QB. Nix hit Marvin Mims twice, Courtland Sutton (five times for 98 yards) and Devaughn Vele for the scores.

Vele’s TD was intended for Adam Trautman, but bounced off cornerbacks Nazeeh Johnson (twice) and Keith Taylor before Vele deflected the catch just before crashing out of the back of the end zone, giving Nix 17 consecutive completions at that point and Denver’s lead extended to 21 -0.

That wild finish capped an 18-play, 89-yard drive that lasted more than 11 minutes and had Wentz cooling his cleats on the sideline next to Mahomes, who was wearing a white hoodie.

After Harrison Butker went wide left on a 51-yard field goal – his first miss in 18 attempts at Empower Field at Mile High – Wil Lutz gave Denver a 24-0 halftime lead by making a 33-yarder with three seconds left. Yarder scored.

The Broncos made it 31-0 on Mims’ second touchdown catch late in the third quarter and Audric Estime scored first in the fourth quarter.

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

The Broncos are back in the playoffs for the first time since winning Super Bowl 50 following the 2015 season. This is the longest playoff drought for a team since winning the Lombardi Trophy.

The Broncos’ decisive win came 3,255 days after Von Miller led them to a 24-10 victory over the Carolina Panthers on Feb. 7, 2016, and their reward as the AFC’s seventh and final seed is a trip to Buffalo next weekend , where they will face Miller in the first round of the playoffs.

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 winning streak but eliminated the prospect that they might have to face Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow at some point in the playoffs. The Bengals, who won their fifth straight game Saturday night in Pittsburgh, needed a Denver loss to have a shot at making the playoffs at 9-8.

The Chiefs, who had won 17 of their last 18 games against the Broncos, planned to stay in Denver overnight as a winter storm also delayed their flight to Colorado for several hours on Saturday.