As we enter the final stretch of the 2024 NFL season, the Denver Broncos (5-5) are in position to make the playoffs for the first time since 2015.
Each conference sends four division winners and three wild card seeds to the postseason each fall. Right now, the Broncos are the AFC’s seventh seed, which would make them the conference’s third and final wild-card berth in 2024.
Denver is extremely unlikely to catch the Kansas City Chiefs (9-0) in the AFC West, but the Broncos could secure a wild card spot with a few key victories. If we assume the teams ranked above Denver will stay above them, the Broncos will have two key teams below them to fend off.
The Indianapolis Colts (4-6) are currently the No. 8 seed. Indy is on a three-game losing streak and they just made a quarterback change, so the Colts don’t appear to be Denver’s biggest threat. The Broncos will host Indy in Week 15.
Right below the Colts are the Cincinnati Bengals (4-6), and they are probably the biggest threat to Denver’s playoff hopes. The Broncos will go on the road to face the Bengals in Cincinnati in Week 17. That game could have massive playoff implications.
As things stand now, the Bengals and Colts are the two teams standing between Denver and the postseason. If the Broncos win those matchups, the team should be positioned to make the playoffs.
The Miami Dolphins (3-6) also aren’t dead yet, but they have a big hole to try to climb out of, and they aren’t on Denver’s schedule. The New York Jets (3-7) will also attempt to get back into the mix, but the Broncos already have a head-to-head tiebreaker victory over the Jets.
So the two key teams that Denver fans should be rooting against over the next eight weeks are the Bengals and Colts. If Cincy and Indy trip up and the Broncos keep up their current pace, Denver will make the NFL playoffs this fall.
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