Forget just making the playoffs, Broncos should aim for AFC West

For the first time since Peyton Manning played for the Denver Broncos, they’ve got a legitimate shot to win the AFC West.

Yes, after a 1-5 start any type of playoff berth would be amazing, but forget the wild card. It’s time for Broncos Country to dream big. And that’s thinking about a division crown.

At 7-6 Denver is just one game behind the Kansas City Chiefs. At 8-5, the defending champions are starting to show cracks. They’ve lost two games in a row and three of their last four. QB Patrick Mahomes had an all-time temper tantrum after their most recent defeat to the Buffalo Bills, showing all is not quite right in KC.

And things are pretty darn good here in the Mile High City.

Winners of six of their last seven games, the Broncos are the hottest team in the NFL. They dominated the Chargers 24-7 on Sunday in a game that wasn’t even that close. Vance Joseph’s defense has had one of the most remarkable in-season turnarounds in league history. Sean Payton might mess around and win Coach of the Year. Everything is clicking at the right time.

So rather than go through the dozens and dozens of scenarios in the wild card race, it feels simpler for Denver to just win out, hope the Chiefs lose once (preferably twice) and then let the tiebreakers fall into place.

The first is head-to-head, which obviously the two teams split. The next is division record, which Kansas City is currently 3-1 and the Broncos 2-2. We’ll need either the Raiders or Chargers to do us a huge favor, potentially leaving both teams at 4-2 in division play at the end of the year.

Next up is record against common opponents. That one still has a ways to go before it’d be clear who wins it, but remember Kansas City has lost to Detroit, Green Bay and Buffalo. The Broncos are 2-0 against those three teams and will try to make it 3-0 on Saturday night. That’d be a big win — as there’s a real scenario Denver can take the AFC West at 11-6.

It’ll mean being perfect the rest of the way, but right now the Broncos are playing pretty perfect football. Heck, they had three chances in Houston at the goal line to currently be riding a seven-game winning streak.

And in Chiefs Kingdom, boy do they miss Tyreek Hill. Mahomes doesn’t have a single reliable wide receiver, and in fact guys like Kadarius Toney and Marquez Valdes-Scantling haved directly cost them games. Travis Kelce is still good, but he’s getting a little older and is also now a massive celebrity based on who he’s dating. It’s fair to wonder if that has become a bit of a distraction.

10 wins should get the Broncos a spot in the dance, but 11 will have the Chiefs sweating. Their schedule of the Patriots, Raiders, Bengals and Chargers doesn’t look daunting on paper, but again, they’re 2-4 over their last six games. Nothing is a guarantee for Kansas City right now.

And the Lions are slowing down, while the Broncos also have the Patriots, Chargers and Raiders. There’s a real path to 4-0, or worst-case, 3-1. This is shaping up like a playoff season.

New England just beat Pittsburgh last week and did Denver a huge favor. If they can somehow take down the Chiefs this weekend, all of Broncos Country should send Bill Belichick a fruit basket. The Grinch himself will be here on Christmas Eve, so maybe in person works too.

Regardless of how it all shakes out, this is fun again. We’re scoreboard watching for the postseason, and not for draft selection order. That’s a remarkable change from just two months ago.

Manning won four AFC West titles during his time in Denver, and Russell Wilson is hunting his first. Wilson is the best QB the Broncos have had since Manning retired, so it’d be fitting.

Keep the foot on the gas, keep playing well, and let’s make the Chiefs sweat in the regular season for the first time in a long time.