The Broncos currently have the top wild card spot in the AFC
Oct 29, 2024, 1:47 PM
The Denver Broncos earned another victory this past Sunday, and got some unexpected help in the wild card standings.
The Cleveland Browns stunned the Baltimore Ravens, and Denver is now the top wild card in the AFC and the No. 5 seed in the playoff picture. Both the Ravens and the Broncos sport 5-3 records, but Denver currently holds the tiebreaker based on the better win percentage in conference games.
That will of course change this weekend, as the Broncos travel to Maryland to take on the Ravens. The winner of the game will not only move to 6-3 and send the opponent to 5-4, but essentially have a two-game lead based on owning the head-t0-head tiebreaker. It’s a massive contest for both squads.
Elsewhere in the AFC the Los Angeles Chargers are currently the No. 7 seed with a 4-3 record. The Indianapolis Colts are at No. 8 with their 4-4 mark and the Cincinnati Bengals are No. 9 at 3-5. Miami, Cleveland, Las Vegas, Jacksonville, New England, the New York Jets and Tennessee all have two victories or fewer.
There’s a real path for the Broncos to make the playoffs for the first time since 2015, although back-to-back games against the Ravens and Chiefs make things tough. Baltimore is a massive favorite over Denver this weekend and Kansas City is the last remaining undefeated team in the NFL at 7-0.
If the Broncos can’t win the AFC West, which feels like a long-shot even with two games left against the Chiefs, the best they can do is the No. 5 seed and a wild card spot. That would put them on the road in the first-round of the postseason, playing the AFC division winner with the worst record. Currently, that’s the Bills at 6-2 based on tiebreakers with the 6-2 Texans and 6-2 Steelers.
This is all a fluid situation, but the calendar flips to November on Friday and the playoff standings are worth checking after every game. That’s something Broncos Country can get used to after an eight-year postseason drought.