After losing to the New England Patriots (4-11) last week, the Denver Broncos (8-9) have extremely long odds of making the NFL playoffs.
While unlikely, mathematics allow for the possibility of the Broncos squeaking into the postseason. Denver has two potential routes to the playoffs.
The first and simplest (albeit farfetched) way for the Broncos to get in would be to win the AFC West. Denver would claim the division crown if they win out and the Kansas City Chiefs lose out. Unlikely? Yes. But technically possible.
The second way to get in would be as a Wild Card team, and it would take a lot of help from other teams. We’ll just focus on this week for how the Broncos can stay alive in the playoff hunt after Week 17.
There are six different scenarios that could see Denver eliminated this week. We’ll list them below.
Option 1: Win AFC West
The Broncos will win the division if they beat the Los Angeles Chargers (home) and Las Vegas Raiders (away) AND the Chiefs lose to the Cincinnati Bengals (home) and Los Angeles Chargers (away) to close out the season. Extremely unlikely. But we’re listing it because it’s technically possible.
Option 2: Make it as a Wild Card team
This is a complicated scenario because it would require a lot of AFC teams losing multiple games for the Broncos to squeak in with a 9-8 record. The first step for Denver is winning out. If they lose on Sunday, the Broncos will be eliminated from playoff contention.
Denver would also be knocked out of the playoff mix by any of these scenarios in Week 17:
1. Wins by Bills, Steelers, and Chiefs, or;
2. Wins by Bills, Titans, Raiders, Jaguars, and Chiefs, or;
2. Wins by Bills, Texans, Colts, Panthers, and Chiefs, or;
3. Wins by Titans, Raiders, Jaguars, Steelers, and Chiefs, or;
4. Wins by Texans, Colts, Panthers, Steelers, Chiefs.
So, to stay alive for at least another week, the Broncos will have to root against those above teams. The Chiefs winning, of course, would knock Denver out of contention in the AFC West, but it would help the team’s chances of earning a Wild Card spot.
Rooting guide for the Broncos in Week 17
Here’s what Denver wants to happen this weekend.
1. Broncos beat Chargers.
2. Patriots beat Bills.
3. Seahawks beat Steelers.
4. Chiefs beat Bengals.
5. Titans beat Texans.
6. Panthers beat Jaguars.
7. Raiders beat Colts.
If results go their way, the Broncos could still be alive in the hunt for a Wild Card spot going into Week 18. Denver is extremely unlikely to make the playoffs, but it’s still possible.
