DENVER (AP) — Even after the Denver Broncos clinched a playoff berth earlier this month, coach Sean Payton kept insisting they hadn't accomplished any of their goals, which start with a division title and end with a Super Bowl parade.

They took a big step in that direction with a 20-13 win at Kansas City on Thursday night. Yet, even at 13-3, the Broncos haven't reached any of the goals they outlined in training camp.

That could change Saturday if the Los Angeles Chargers lose at home to the Houston Texans, giving the Broncos their first AFC West title since 2015.

Asked if that would be weird to clinch while sitting on the couch, Broncos coach Sean Payton laughed.

“No,” he said. "It will be relaxing, it will be nice.”

Either way, the Broncos likely will have to beat the Chargers (11-4) at home next weekend for the first time in four tries since Jim Harbaugh took over as LA's coach for Denver to clinch the AFC's No. 1 seed and first-round playoff bye.

A slip-up against the Chargers would send the Broncos tumbling all the way to the fifth spot in the AFC playoff field and put them on the road in the first round.

The Broncos' win at Arrowhead Stadium was their first in Kansas City since Sept. 17, 2015, but that wasn't on their minds.

“No, because those are someone else’s demons,” Payton explained. “I heard that all of the time in New Orleans, ‘You’ve never won a playoff game.' That’s not this team. You can’t fight those other demons.”

What’s working

Rookie RB RJ Harvey caught a 1-yard touchdown pass with 1:45 left that proved the difference. It was his 12th touchdown. It came after Chris Jones' neutral-zone infraction on fourth-and-2 at the Chiefs 9 when the Broncos were planning to take a delay penalty and kick a field goal to break a 13-all tie.

“It was covered initially, then he climbed. He has receiver skill sets," Payton said. "... I couldn’t see the angle and I heard the cheer. I said, ‘Please tell me that isn’t an interception.' It was loud enough where I didn’t know if it was the Kansas City cheer. Fortunately, it was the Bronco cheer. I am sure it was a heck of a throw and catch.

"To score seven greatly changes the dynamic with their kicker. You know how the kicking game is. You are starting at the 35 average. It greatly changed the outcome of the game, that they needed a touchdown.”

What needs help

The Broncos could use some help from the Texans. If Houston beats LA on Saturday, Denver has its first division crown in a decade and will get to host a playoff game.

Stock up

C Alex Forsyth got a game ball after he filled in admirably for starter Luke Wattenberg, who went on IR with a shoulder injury. Last season at Kansas City, Forsyth was bowled over on a blocked field goal as time expired in a 16-14 loss at Arrowhead Stadium.

“I’ll tell you what was pretty impressive: Alex came in and played really well, got a game ball,” Payton said. "It was a tough trip home last year. It’s a little life lesson, for someone like him, to come back in a starting role. That was pretty cool.”

Bo Nix thought so, too.

“I am super happy for him. I would say no one prepares more in this league than he does," Nix said. "I think he is one of the most in-depth preparers I have ever seen. It is awesome to play behind him. I knew coming into this game and he was not going to leave any stone unturned. He prepares like no other, and he does his best to put the team in the best chance of succeeding.

"We all know what happened here last year and how much it hurt him and what it meant to him. It was a God wink that he got to come back here, start and play the full game and get our first win here in a long time. He has earned that, and he is well deserving of that game ball.”

Stock down

At 13-3, there is not really anybody in Denver whose stock is slipping.

Injuries

The Broncos are expected to be without Wattenberg for a month.

Key stats

— 64 sacks by the Broncos this season, breaking the franchise record of 63 set last season.

— 23 wins by Nix is the second-most all-time by a quarterback in his first two years in the NFL. That mark (24) is held by Russell Wilson.

— 5 times Payton has posted a 13-win season, second only to Bill Belichick's seven. Payton did it in 2009, 2011, 2018 and 2019 with New Orleans.

“When I heard that, I had trouble figuring out which were the 13-win teams,” Payton said. "We had some other teams that were 12- or 11-win teams. I have been fortunate to have really good players and real good coaches. Some of them who are right here that have been a part of all of those wins, part of those wins. Obviously, Bill is good company. Let’s keep it going.”

Next steps

It very well could come down to a winner-take-all showdown against the Chargers next weekend at Empower Field, where the Broncos are 7-1. The division title and, more importantly, the top seed in the AFC, could be at stake depending on the outcomes of the rest of Week 17 this weekend.

Nikola Jokic breaks Steph Curry's record with 18 points in OT and Nuggets set mark with 27 OT points

DENVER (AP) — Nikola Jokic's magnitude is matched only by his modesty.

“I mean, I had a good game,” Denver's superstar center said in his typical understated fashion after setting an NBA record by scoring 18 points in overtime, leading the Nuggets past Minnesota 142-138 on Thursday night.

Those 18 points came in the final 2:53 of overtime, no less, and Jokic finished with 56 points along with 16 rebounds and 15 assists for his 179th career triple-double.

No player in NBA history ever had a 55-15-15 triple-double before Jokic's masterpiece capped the league's five-game Christmas Day slate.

Every bit of it was necessary for the short-handed Nuggets, playing without three opening night starters, to overcome a 44-point performance by Anthony Edwards, who sent the game to overtime with a twisting 3-pointer from the left corner with a second to go in regulation.

Edwards scored 11 points in OT but picked up two technical fouls in the final minute, one for knocking the ball out of Jokic's hands on a dead ball following a basket.

Edwards scored seven quick points at the start of overtime as the Wolves used a 9-0 run to take a 124-115 lead and silence the sell-out crowd at Ball Arena.

The Nuggets looked cooked. And coach David Adelman called timeout with 2:59 remaining.

That's when Jokic took over.

The Nuggets' 27 points from that point on set an NBA record for most points scored in a five-minute overtime, and it started with a 3-pointer from Jokic at the 2:53 mark.

Jamal Murray, who added 35 points, blocked Rudy Gobert's putback and dished to Tim Hardaway for a 3. After Julius Randle made two free throws, Jokic hit another 3-pointer, then tied it 126-all with a floating jump shot with 1:26 remaining.

Over the final 56 seconds, Jokic made 10 of 11 free throws, giving him 18 points in the extra period, breaking Steph Curry's record of 17 points in a single overtime set in 2016.

“The best player in the world,” Adelman marveled, rattling off what he called a “crazy stat line” and terrific efficiency by Jokic, who made 15 of 21 shots, including 4 of 6 from beyond the arc, sank 22 of 23 free throws and had a 3-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio.

“I'll just keep saying: Don't get tired of this," Adelman said. "He's the best player in the world, just the bottom line. And what he does nightly it's important to the game of basketball. It's good for sports — it's good for his head coach.”

The Nuggets certainly are accustomed to historic performances from their Serbian superstar and three-time MVP.

Told that Jokic broke Curry's individual record of 17 points in an overtime, Murray said, "Seems about right.”

With the Wolves so focused on Jokic, Murray shot a career-high 18 3-pointers and sank half of them, including a key 3 in overtime when he was being guarded by Edwards and Jaden McDaniels.

“Yeah, I just told the bench I was going to shoot a pull-up because of the way they were guarding Jokic,” Murray said. “The way he was scoring, they were so focused on him. I don't think I shot for most of the fourth and overtime.”

The Nuggets are accustomed to Jokic's superlative performances, but this one stood out given that Denver blew a late 15-point late lead in regulation and fell behind by nine in overtime.

Edwards scored seven of those points and finished with 44 before his ejection for picking up two quick technical fouls in overtime as the Nuggets closed on a 27-14 spurt.

“They're gonna show this game 20 years from now, I'll crack open a beer and watch it," Adelman said. “There's other ones that I flip on NBA TV and I immediately turn the channel. So, this was one of those crazy NBA games with two really good teams, top-tier teams, so just proud that we found a way.”