With three games left in the regular season, the Denver Broncos are sitting pretty atop the AFC at 12-2, holding a two-game cushion over the New England Patriots thanks to a crucial tiebreaker. That edge comes from their superior winning percentage against common opponents, effectively giving them a two-game lead despite just one game separating them in the standings. In short: the Broncos are in the driver’s seat for the No. 1 seed in the AFC, and they’ve earned it.
What’s remarkable about this Denver team isn’t just the record-it’s how they’ve defied expectations every step of the way. Sean Payton came into 2024 preaching belief when few outside the building were buying what he was selling.
He called his squad a playoff team when most were bracing for a rebuild. He doubled down this year, saying they were Super Bowl contenders.
Again, the outside world scoffed. And again, the Broncos are proving him right.
Now, with the regular season winding down, the Broncos are staring down a golden opportunity: lock up the AFC’s top seed and the lone playoff bye. That’s not just a luxury-it’s a potential game-changer in a conference that’s as deep and dangerous as ever.
The Road to the No. 1 Seed
As it stands, three teams are still in the hunt for the AFC’s top spot: Denver, New England, and Jacksonville. The Jaguars, at 10-4, lead the AFC South and still have a path to the top seed-but it runs directly through Denver.
The two teams face off next week, and if Jacksonville can pull off the upset, they stay in the mix. If not, their hopes for the No. 1 seed vanish.
For Denver, the math is straightforward: win two of their final three, and the road to the Super Bowl runs through Mile High. That would clinch the top seed and the all-important first-round bye. But the schedule isn’t doing them any favors.
Next up? A clash with the Jaguars, who are fighting for their own playoff positioning and won’t go down easy.
After that, Denver heads to Arrowhead to face the Chiefs-a notoriously tough place to play, no matter the stakes. The final game of the season brings the Chargers to Denver, but the Broncos would love to have things wrapped up before that one even kicks off.
Help Could Come from the AFC North
While Denver controls its own destiny, a little help from around the league wouldn’t hurt. The Patriots, still clinging to their own shot at the top seed, face the Ravens this week-a team that just dismantled the Bengals and is surging at the right time. If New England stumbles in that one and Denver takes care of business, the Broncos could lock things up as early as Week 17.
A Familiar Feeling in the Mile High City
This Broncos team is starting to feel a lot like the ones we saw in the Peyton Manning era-balanced, confident, and dangerous on both sides of the ball. They’ve found a rhythm, and right now, they’re playing like a team nobody wants to see in January.
The message is clear: win two more, and the AFC runs through Denver. And if they keep playing at this level, don’t be surprised if this team is still standing when the confetti falls.