Broncos’ Week 18 kickoff time vs. Kansas City set

The Broncos will put their playoff aspirations on the line Sunday afternoon.

Denver’s Week 18 home game against Kansas City is set for a 2:25 p.m. kickoff. The league finalized the schedule for the final week of the regular season on Sunday night.

Sean Payton’s team must win its season finale against the Chiefs to ensure a playoff spot after losing its past two games at the Los Angeles Chargers and Cincinnati. If they lose, they can be knocked out if Cincinnati beats Pittsburgh or Miami beats the New York Jets.

The Bengals play the Steelers on Saturday night, so that one will be decided by the time Denver and Kansas City wake up Sunday morning. Then the Dolphins and Jets play at the same time as the Broncos.

Kansas City is already locked into the No. 1 seed. Longtime coach Andy Reid has never played his key players in a game like this one that holds no significance for his team, though he hasn’t officially announced plans yet for quarterback Patrick Mahomes, defensive lineman Chris Jones or others.

If the Broncos make the postseason by any route, they’ll be locked into the No. 7 seed and thus will visit No. 2 Buffalo on Wild Card weekend.