Broncos can start thinking about playoffs, but AFC brutally crowded

The Denver Broncos and the playoffs are a combination we haven’t seen in a long time.

In fact, the team hasn’t made the postseason since all the way back in 2015, the year they won Super Bowl 50.

But after three straight wins, including two stunners over the Chiefs and Bills, Denver is just one game out in a brutally crowded AFC with its 4-5 record.

Even though the Broncos are currently 14th in the conference, the Texans occupy the seventh and final seed with a 5-4 mark.

But this is where it gets tricky. The Bengals are also 5-4, the Colts, Bills and Raiders are 5-5 and the Chargers and Jets are also 4-5. It’s not just a lot of spots that Denver has to move up, it’s an awful lot of teams they have to jump.

The good news? The Broncos still have games left on their schedule against Houston, Las Vegas and Los Angeles (twice). They also hold the tiebreaker with the Bills, but lose it to the Jets. Their fate against AFC West foes in the Chargers and Raiders on that front is yet to be determined.

But when networks televising games show playoff graphics, the Broncos should be “in the hunt” beginning as soon as this weekend. That’s always a better spot to be than watching the projected NFL Draft order.

And Denver gets to face backup QBs the next two weeks, with both Minnesota’s Kirk Cousins and Cleveland’s Deshaun Watson being lost for the season.

It’s a mountain to climb, but it’s a lot less steep than it was a month ago. That’s a darn good thing, as it’s the middle of November and we’re talking about the Broncos and the playoffs.