The Denver Broncos and rookie Bo Nix are in the thick of the playoff action. After a tough loss on Thursday Night Football, the Broncos are now sitting at 9-6 and are seventh in the AFC standings. With the AFC West out of the picture, what does a potential playoff berth look like for Sean Payton’s squad?
What Is the Denver Broncos’ Current Playoff Picture?
Things are looking pretty good for the Broncos, even after the loss. That is because the Broncos currently have a two-game lead over the eighth-placed Indianapolis Colts, who are at 7-8. The best the Colts can do this season is to finish 9-8.
However, things start to get interesting now that they have lost this week.
A win or a tie in either Week 17 or Week 18 would clinch their playoff spot. Their final two games are both potentially tough: against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 17 and the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 18. Both teams could still have playoff spots or seeding to play for, which means the Broncos would have a battle on their hands.
MORE: AFC Wild Card Playoff Scenarios
In fact, Cincinnati’s win on Sunday over the Browns means Cincinnati will definitely still have something to play for next week when Denver visits them.
The Broncos were unable to clinch an AFC playoff berth in Week 16 due to their loss to the Chargers and wins by the Colts, Bengals, and Dolphins.
The same goes at any point between now and Week 18. If those three teams fail to win just one game apiece, the Broncos clinch a playoff spot even if they do not win another regular-season game. Once all three of those teams cannot get to nine wins, the Broncos are in the postseason.
Denver’s problem will come if they finish the season at 9-8, as does at least one other team. There are not many scenarios that wind up favorably for the Broncos on that front. If they finish 9-8, the Broncos would have a woeful 5-7 conference record, they would only own a head-to-head tiebreaker with the Colts, and they would be on the receiving end of tiebreakers with the Chargers and Bengals.
The only scenario in which the Broncos could finish 9-8 and make the playoffs would be if they tied with the Colts for the seventh spot in the standings. They would then claim that spot based on their head-to-head record.
However, in the event of any multi-team tiebreaker, that would not come into play until they were already eliminated.
In almost every other scenario at 9-8, the Broncos are eliminated due to their conference record (5-7) or their head-to-head records. There are several ways it can occur, but at 9-8, the Dolphins and Colts would have a 7-5 conference record, and the Chargers and Bengals would have a 6-6 conference record.
Make sure to check out Pro Football Network’s updated playoff percentages to find out exactly how likely a Broncos post-season trip is.
AFC Playoff Race | Week 18
1. Kansas City Chiefs (15-1)
2. Buffalo Bills (13-3)
3. Baltimore Ravens (12-5)
4. Houston Texans (9-7)
5. Los Angeles Chargers (10-6)
6. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7)
7. Denver Broncos (9-7)
In The Hunt
9. Cincinnati Bengals (9-8)
8. Miami Dolphins (8-8)
Eliminated From Playoffs
10. Indianapolis Colts (7-9)
11. New York Jets (4-12)
12. Las Vegas Raiders (4-12)
13. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-12)
14. Tennessee Titans (3-13)
15. New England Patriots (3-13)
16. Cleveland Browns (3-14)
