DENVER — The Chiefs make it easy not to like them. And just in case you wondered why, on Wednesday they signed Justin Tucker.

You know, the shamed kicker we all thought retired. The uglier a player’s behavior, the more the Chiefs seem to want the guy. Even if it is only to occupy a place on the practice squad.

Chiefs coach Andy Reid defended the distraction, saying this when asked what message it would send to female fans of the team.

“He’s done his suspension. Took care of his business there. I’ll leave it at that for ya,” Reid said.

Despite no filing of charges or lawsuits, the NFL conducted an investigation and suspended Tucker for 10 games during the 2025 season for violating the league’s personal conduct policy.

Tucker, 36, was accused of inappropriate behavior by 16 different massage therapists at eight different Baltimore-area spas and wellness centers, according to The Baltimore Banner.

After going unsigned for a full season, Tucker is back in the league. He was brought in as a security blanket because struggling Harrison Butker is 5 for 10 on kicks of at least 40 yards this season.

So, now the Chiefs kickers room looks ready for a political primary, featuring in one corner a former banned player and in the other Butker, who bashed Pride month at a commencement address in 2024 and said, “Women have had the most diabolic lies told to you. Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world, but I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world.”

Again, cheering against the Chiefs is easy — see the legal issues of Tyreek Hill, Kareem Hunt and Rashee Rice. They have had no problem employing players with character risks under Reid.

But the NFL is no place to find morality. The Broncos stood behind Jonathon Cooper after his multiple arrests last summer, though I would not have.

Here’s the thing about the Chiefs. You don’t have to like them, even if it sometimes feels like they are filming a remake of “The Longest Yard.”

Pro sports are about victories.

Despising the Chiefs and seeing them as a rival only makes sense if the Broncos can beat them. And oddly, if not unbelievably, that remains possible.

The Chiefs clobbered the Broncos on opening night as Kenneth Walker ran through Denver like Taco Bell after a night of drinking. The Broncos missed 19 tackles. And when Bo Nix started the season in a mind-numbing slump, it appeared the Broncos had already missed their chance to repeat as AFC West champions.

Then came last Sunday.

Nix is back in the mix as a functional quarterback. And the defense is playing significantly better fundamentally. The Broncos are in a better position to slow Walker and make Patrick Mahomes try to beat them with his underwhelming receiving corps, as exposed by the Seahawks.

Writing that sentence seems stupid, given Mahomes’ brilliance. But he has been ordinary in his first season back from ACL surgery (nine touchdowns, four picks), while rushing only 12 times for 48 yards since embarrassing the Broncos on Sept. 14.

Here’s another one that will surely be greeted with eye rolls: Marvin Mims Jr. holds the key to pulling off the upset.

We all thought the Broncos would boast a receiver capable of producing explosive plays and changing games this season. We just figured, foolishly, that it would be Jaylen Waddle. He has 26 catches, leaving him on pace for a career-low 670 yards. He might not play this weekend.

Waddle suffered an upper-body injury to his left side on a “dumb” reverse call, as Sean Payton put it, late in the win against the Cardinals.

Why can’t Mims be him?

We have been asking this question since the Broncos traded Jerry Jeudy in March of 2024. Mims has delivered arguably the most electric plays over the past two-plus seasons. The 93-yard breathtaking touchdown reception against Cleveland. The human highlight-film score against the Bengals to force overtime. The over-the-shoulder touchdown dime versus Buffalo in the playoffs last January.

And, of course, the hole-shot grab he took for 47 yards last week.

At some point, Waddle might go off. We haven’t seen it. Mims has done it.

Now is the time to lean on him. He will be a free agent after the season. It is unclear if he will be re-signed.

But one thing is evident: the Broncos’ offense looks much better when he is involved beyond ace special teams work.

“Whenever we ask something of him, whether it is intermediate or down the field, he has been really effective,” Payton said Wednesday. “And obviously as a returner, he brought the ball to midfield; those are things he has shown us consistently, and he continues to add those touches where you want to even get him more. It is sometimes a challenge.”

It should not be. There is no reason Mims should not get four targets per game. He has seven this season in five games. It speaks to Nix’s funk, but also the inability for Payton to use Mims beyond the occasional flirtation once a month.

Mims has done some of his best work against the Chiefs, catching 13 passes and delivering bursts on kickoffs and punts. It is hard to see Denver toppling Kansas City without a couple of gash plays.

“Sometimes it’s coverage, and then it’s trying to find those personnel groupings where we’ve got a number of guys that are healthy and playing well,” Payton said. “So hopefully we can find those opportunities.”

Enough with the excuses, coach. Create a path, force a way, to get Mims involved.

Kansas City defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo will look to make Nix miserable. There will be exotic looks and probably 10-to-15 blitzes.

The stakes are impossible to miss.

“I think point blank, it is important to our team,” said Nix, who has won his only two home games against Kansas City. “We know it’s a big one.”

It is for Broncos Country, too. They want to be able to look down on the Chiefs for adding a kicker with a checkered past. But that is only possible if the Broncos kick (butt) on the field.

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