The Denver Broncos (8-7) face a familiar foe on Sunday, taking on Kyle Orton and the Kansas City Chiefs (6-9). Orton began the 2011 NFL Season as the starting quarterback for the Broncos after starting for Denver in most of the 2009 and 2010 seasons.
Eventually, after the Broncos benched Orton and made Tim Tebow their starting QB midway through the season, the Broncos released Orton so he could find a starting position elsewhere in the league. The Broncos' AFC West rivals, the Chiefs, claimed Orton's contract and quickly made him their starter, and he has rewarded them with an 85.4 quarterback rating since.
According to Chiefs head coach Romeo Crennel, though, Orton should not focus on vengeance against his old team in Week 17:
"Every player that I know wants to play (well) against (his) old team," Crennel said. "He would like to play (well), and I’m sure he would like to win the game. That’s what I told him this morning: ‘Your job is to help your team win. It’s not Kyle versus the Broncos. It’s the Chiefs versus the Broncos.’"
The former Broncos QB also downplayed the confrontation:
"The only guys I’m trying to prove something to are my teammates," Orton said. "I really don’t worry about anything else."
Orton and the Chiefs have their chance to spoil the Broncos' playoff run this Sunday at 2:14 PM MST.
For more on this Week 17 game, visit Broncos blog Mile High Report and Chiefs blog Arrowhead Pride. Be sure to check out SB Nation NFL for more news and notes around the league.