When the Denver Broncos face the Kansas City Chiefs — as the two teams have done annually since they began playing in 1960 — it is a renewal of one of the great rivalries in pro football.
This rivalry has gone in somewhat different directions since the NFL merger with the American Football League, with joint play beginning in 1970. The Chiefs (formerly the Dallas Texans from 1960-62) won three league titles and Super Bowl IX and posted an AFL-high 87 wins from 1960-69. For most of that time, the Broncos languished. But from 1977 to the present, the Broncos have gone to the Super Bowl eight times while the Chiefs have made none.