The Griese home in South Florida is not currently stocked with Champagne, but that might change if the Broncos pull an upset Sunday.
The 1972 Miami Dolphins, who went 17-0 en route to winning Super Bowl VII, remain the only undefeated team in NFL history. A tradition for players from that team is whenever the final undefeated team loses each season, there is a Champagne toast.
The Kansas City Chiefs are 8-0 and the league’s only undefeated team. So what might happen if the 5-4 Broncos knock them off Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium?
“We don’t have Champagne in the house, but we know where it’s at,’’ said Hall of Famer Bob Griese, the Dolphins quarterback who steered them to a 14-7 win over Washington in Super Bowl VII to conclude the legendary undefeated season.
With a 17-game regular season not even half over for Kansas City, it is too early for the Dolphins to be concerned. But they certainly won’t mind if Denver, an 7.5-point underdog, upsets the Chiefs.
“Somebody is going to beat them,’’ said Hall of Famer Larry Little, a guard on the 1972 Dolphins, who went 14-0 in the regular season before winning three playoff games. “I haven’t even thought about them going undefeated. They have nine more games to play. … The way the NFL is, it’s any given Sunday. The way the Broncos played last week (in a 41-10 loss at Baltimore), they’re going to be really up to play this game and knowing they have the opportunity maybe to knock off the Chiefs. It should be a good game. I don’t think it will be a blowout.”
For the Broncos, they relish the chance to face an undefeated team.
“It’s good,’’ said tight end Adam Trautman. “(The Chiefs) get everyone’s best game, anyway. But you want to be the first time to show up in that loss column for them.”
There is a precedent for Denver knocking off an undefeated Chiefs team in November. On Nov. 17, 2013, the Broncos were 8-1 before defeating 9-0 Kansas City 27-17 at Arrowhead Stadium.
Of course, that Denver team had star quarterback Peyton Manning and advanced that season to the Super Bowl. But the Broncos have gained confidence from what happened Oct. 29, 2023, even if the Chiefs weren’t then undefeated.
The Broncos started last season 1-5 and were 2-5 before they stunned the 6-1 Chiefs 24-9 at Empower Field at Mile High.
“We’re the underdogs once again and we just got to put on a better show than we did (against the Ravens), and hopefully we can get the same outcome we had the second time we played them last year,’’ said running back Javonte Williams.
The first meeting last season was a 19-8 Chiefs win at Arrowhead Stadium on Oct. 12, raising their record to 5-1. That was Kansas City’s 16th straight win in the series, a skid the Broncos finally were able to stop later that month.
The Broncos did a solid job last year against Chiefs star quarterback Patrick Mahomes. In the first meeting, he completed 30 of 40 passes for 304 yards with one touchdown and one interception for a 94.4 passer rating and was sacked twice. In the second game, he completed 24 of 38 passes for 240 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions for a season-low passer rating of 59.1 and was sacked three times.
“We obviously like challenges,’’ Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II said of taking on the undefeated Chiefs. “Challenges bring out the best of us and we’re just going to be playing our game and playing our style and can’t go in thinking like we have to do things out of schedule and out of sorts to beat this team. I feel like if everybody does their 1/11th, we’re very much capable of beating them.”
If the Broncos beat the Chiefs, they will do what some highly regarded teams have been unable to this season. Kansas City’s victims so far have included Baltimore, Atlanta, the Los Angeles Chargers and San Francisco.
“I think we’re really excited about that prospect and there’s a reason why they’re undefeated,’’ defensive end Zach Allen said about the opportunity to hand the Chiefs their first loss. “It will definitely be a challenge but we’re looking forward to it.’’
The Chiefs have won three of the last five Super Bowls with a historic offense that also features star tight end Travis Kelce. But last year Kansas City’s defense was ranked higher in the NFL than the offense. That remains the case in 2024.
The Chiefs are No. 10 in both points scored and in total offense. But with 2023 first-team All-Pros Chris Jones at defensive end and Trent McDuffie at cornerback, they’re No. 4 in points allowed and No. 5 in total defense.
“They’re playing really, really well on defense,’’ said Broncos coach Sean Payton. “What’s interesting sometimes is historically speaking, (the San Francisco 49ers of the 1980s and 1990s had quarterbacks Joe) Montana or Steve Young. We all think of their offense always. Those guys had fantastic defenses, and I would say this team we’re playing has got a real good defense.”
Payton called it the “heart of a champion” how the Chiefs have won so many close games this season. Six wins have been by seven points or less, including last Monday’s 30-24 home overtime victory over Tampa Bay.
When the Chiefs won their three Super Bowls under head coach Andy Reid, they had records, including the playoffs, in the 2019 season of 15-4, in 2022 of 17-3 and in 2023 of 14-6. This season is the closest they’ve come to making a run at being undefeated since that 9-0 start in Reid’s first season of 2013.
Members of the 1972 Dolphins will continue to follow what happens with the Chiefs.
“I am looking ahead (in) their schedule and I know they’ve got some tough games coming up and the probability is you can’t win them all, especially when you play at Buffalo (on Nov. 17),’’ Griese said. “But if they win them all, I’d say, ‘Hey, congratulations.’’’
Kansas City’s date with Buffalo (now 7-2) could end up being the most anticipated regular-season game of 2024. The Chiefs also have a home game against Houston (now 6-3) on Dec. 21 and play at Pittsburgh (now 6-2) on Dec. 25.
“The Chiefs have a hell of a football team and it wouldn’t surprise me if they make a run at it, but I just can’t see (going undefeated) happening,’’ Little said. “So many things can happen between now and then. And while we played 17 games, they’re playing (a 17-game regular-season and three potential playoff games). So it’s hard to compare the two. But if they do, more power to them, and they’ll be joining us on Mount Rushmore.”
Since the Dolphins’ legendary 1972 season, the closest a team has come to running the table was New England having a 16-0 regular season in 2007 and winning two playoff games before being stunned 17-14 by the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII. The Broncos had made a nice run at going undefeated in 1998, starting 13-0 before finishing the regular season 14-2 and winning Super Bowl XXXIII.
Now the Broncos would welcome stopping an undefeated streak.
“At the end of the day, (the Chiefs are) undefeated and they’re the defending champs two years in a row,’’ said defensive tackle Malcolm Roach. “You got to get up for this game. … We got to be ready to go. We got to put an ‘L’ in the category (for Kansas City).’’
If that happens, Griese would need to dash out for some Champagne.