In all likelihood, Broncos will officially be eliminated from playoffs this week

The inevitable will likely occur this weekend.

The 2022 Broncos will almost assuredly be eliminated from NFL playoff contention, a stunning low for a franchise in its worst rut ever. This will mark the seventh straight year Denver’s failed to secure a postseason berth.

There are four scenarios in which the door is slammed on the Broncos’ beyond minuscule playoff chances, with the first being the simplest and most obvious. If Denver loses to the powerhouse Chiefs, they’re out. Considering the Broncos have lost to Kansas City 13 times in a row, a 14th straight defeat is a safe bet. Not to mention the Broncos are 3-9 and KC is 9-3. The oddsmakers have the Chiefs as more than a touchdown favorite.

The second scenario sees the Broncos tying Kansas City and the Jets, currently in the No. 7 seed, beating or tying the Bills. Remember, Denver lost to New York earlier this year, so they win the head-to-head tiebreaker.

Even if the Broncos pull a stunning upset and win, there are two instances in which they’re still mathematically eliminated. The first would be if the Jets win, the Ravens win or tie against the Steelers and the Bengals win or tie against the Browns.

The final scenario is similar, just replace a Bengals win or tie with a Patriots win over the Cardinals. The Jets and Ravens would still have to do their parts.

But rather than get lost in the weeds on these, the reality is pretty simple. It’s only Week 14 and the Broncos will be one of the first NFL teams knocked out of postseason contention. Only the lowly Texans (1-10-1) and Bears (3-10) have already had their fates sealed. Denver will be joining some pretty bad company.

And of course, as we’ve highlighted week after week, the Broncos won’t get the reward of a top-5 2023 NFL Draft pick. No, that’s headed to Seattle in the Russell Wilson trade, and the selection currently sits at No. 3 overall.

Five more games to go, Broncos Country. Just five more — then we can all move on from this 2022 tire fire.

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