On Christmas Eve, as the Denver Broncos prepared for their final road game of the regular season the next day against the Kansas City Chiefs, coach Sean Payton had longtime assistant Joe Vitt speak to the team inside a hotel meeting room.

The 71-year-old Vitt, who began coaching in the NFL as a quality control assistant back in 1979, spoke about the chance Denver had to do something special. It was an opportunity, Vitt knew from experience, that doesn’t come around all the time.

There was only one minor detail amiss in the speech.

“He went on and on about clinching (the AFC West by beating the Chiefs) and no one said anything,” Payton said. “And I’m just thinking, ‘C’mon, Joe.'”

The Broncos did beat the Chiefs, 20-13, on Christmas night, but that was only part of the equation that needed to come together for a holiday weekend celebration. Denver still needed the Houston Texans to defeat the Los Angeles Chargers two days later for the Broncos to clinch their first division title in a decade.

Perhaps it was simply a prescient address from Vitt.

The Texans struck early against the Chargers in Los Angeles on Saturday afternoon and held on for a 20-16 victory. That result clinched the first AFC West title for the Broncos since 2015, which coincidentally is the last time the franchise won the Super Bowl. Had the Chargers won Saturday, the Broncos would have been forced to beat them in Denver next week to win the division, but Payton said he had no issue with claiming that title from home when asked about the prospect after Thursday night’s win over K.C.

“It will be relaxing,” Payton said. “It will be nice.”

The Broncos may have won the division during their weekend off, but there’s no doubt they earned the distinction of breaking the Chiefs’ nine-year streak as West champions. Payton established winning the division as a top priority for Denver immediately after their 2024 season ended with a loss to the Buffalo Bills in the first round of the playoffs.

After a walk-off loss to the Chargers on Sept. 21 dropped the Broncos to 1-2 this season, they reeled off 11 straight wins to take control of the division. They did it behind a defense that leads the NFL with a franchise-record 64 sacks, a quarterback in Bo Nix who leads the league in game-winning drives and a coach who enters the postseason trying to become the first coach to lead two franchises to Super Bowl titles. Payton, after Thursday’s victory against the Chiefs, joined Bill Belichick as just the second coach in NFL history to win 13 games during the regular season five times.

“I have been fortunate to have really good players and real good coaches,” Payton said. “Some of them who are right here have been a part of all of those wins. Obviously, Bill is good company. Let’s keep it going.”

The division milestone is a testament to the turnaround the Broncos have made over the past three seasons. Denver went 5-12 in 2022 after the blockbuster trade for Russell Wilson. The ownership group led by Greg Penner and Carrie Walton Penner reached a crossroads in their first year in charge of the franchise and fired head coach Nathaniel Hackett 15 games into his tenure. Their search for a coach who could oversee the entire football operation ultimately led them to Payton, who returned from a one-year hiatus as hungry as ever to build a championship-level program. Since a loss to the Chiefs in Week 10 last season, no team in the NFL has a better win percentage than the Broncos.

A loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Dec. 21 added drama to the division race, but the Broncos put themselves into position to clinch with their methodical win in Kansas City on Christmas night. The Denver victory pushed the Chargers into must-win mode to stay in the division race, but Los Angeles was overwhelmed by a Texans team that was playing to clinch its own playoff spot and remain alive in pursuit of an AFC South title.

The Broncos are now guaranteed to play their first home postseason game since they beat the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game following the 2015 season. It was a victory that gave Denver a trip to Santa Clara, Calif., the same place this season’s Super Bowl will be played.

“We still have our minds set on what’s coming,” tight end Evan Engram said.

Winning the West was Denver’s first goal this season, Payton reiterated earlier this month. Goal No. 2 was earning the best playoff seed possible. The Broncos will be the No. 1 seed if they beat the Chargers in Week 18. Goal No. 3 is the Super Bowl, and the path there will be shorter for the Broncos if they earn a first-round bye.

It’s why a division celebration, whenever it began, figured to be a modest one for the Broncos. The stakes in the regular season finale would be massive, regardless of how the Chargers’ game against the Texans played out.

“We have to play the final game, and we have to take care of it,” said Nix, who will be trying to beat the Chargers for the first time in his career.

The Broncos, after beating the Chiefs, gave Vitt a hat with a piece of tape that called the team West champions — a playful jab at the veteran assistant’s premature clinching scenario. They sprinkled some champagne on him, too.

Vitt will find an official hat with that accomplishment at Denver’s headquarters this week. The only question now is what other accomplishments the Broncos can add to this memorable season.