Kansas City, Mo. ? With all due respect to the only team that’s beaten them, the Kansas City Chiefs do not consider Cincinnati the toughest outfit they’ve faced this year.

Coach Dick Vermeil, for one, gives that nod to Denver. A one-point victory over the Broncos Oct. 5 in Kansas City put the Chiefs (11-1) on the path to having the best 12-game record in the league and in franchise history.

Another win this week in Denver would give Vermeil’s team its first AFC West title since 1997 and allow the Chiefs to retain at least a one-game lead in the struggle for home-field advantage.

“It’s going to be like playing a playoff game on the road,” Vermeil said Monday. “This is a very important football game for us. I think they’re the best team we’ve seen all year.”

The Chiefs and Broncos were each 4-0 when Kansas City’s Dante Hall unleashed his most spectacular return to date, a 93-yard punt runback for a fourth-quarter touchdown just moments after Denver had taken a 23-17 lead.

Since then, the Chiefs have remained remarkably healthy and soared to six wins and one loss.

The Broncos, meanwhile, sustained several crippling injuries in the ensuing weeks and have gone only 3-4 since losing to Kansas City.

This road game is especially important to the Chiefs, who close out the regular season with home games against lowly Detroit and Chicago bracketed around a trip to Minnesota.

“Will it be a pivotal game in terms of home-field advantage if we make the playoffs? Well, we haven’t made them yet,” Vermeil said. “Normally when you win 11 games, you’ve made the playoffs. But in the AFC this year, it’s a little bit tougher.”

The Broncos would seem to have every reason imaginable to play hard.

For one thing, they’re still scrapping for a wild-card spot, and another loss would significantly hurt their cause.

For another, they’re no doubt unhappy over what happened on Hall’s return — Julian Battle got away with an obvious clip.

And for yet another, it’s Kansas City — an archrival the Broncos love to beat, no matter what the circumstances.

“It’s tough enough to beat them any time, let along going in there in December and trying to beat them,” Vermeil said.

Only six points separated the two AFC West rivals in their last four games.

“It will be a very intense, tight football game,” Vermeil said. “We’re going to have to play our best football.”

Vermeil said the Chiefs came out of Sunday’s 28-24 victory at San Diego in fairly good shape. Only Monty Beisel, a backup linebacker and special-teams ace who sustained a groin pull, is not expected to play against Denver.