Broncos get a helping hand from Russell Wilson

For the Denver Broncos, the highest-leverage game remaining possibly changed Sunday.

Now, their most significant game in December regarding a postseason bid could be their Dec. 15 contest against the Indianapolis Colts.

That changed because of the outcomes of the early-afternoon games Sunday.

The Broncos got the result they wanted in Cincinnati, as the Bengals’ porous defense continued to leak, surrendering over 500 yards in total offense and 414 yards to Russell Wilson on 29-of-38 passing in a 44-38 loss that dropped the Bengals to 4-8.

But in New England, the Indianapolis Colts kept pace, riding a clutch late-game drive that included three fourth-down conversions to a 25-24 win over the Patriots.

Embattled second-year quarterback Anthony Richardson completed a pair of fourth-down passes — including the 3-yard touchdown to Pierce — and scrambled 6 yards on a fourth-and-2 on the series. Indianapolis is now 6-7.

The Colts, like the Broncos, have a bye next week before meeting on Dec. 15. Cincinnati has three games against sub-.500 teams before hosting the Broncos on Dec. 28 or 29, but they now trail Denver by three full games.

These outcomes follow Miami’s 30-17 loss at Green Bay on Thanksgiving, which dipped the Dolphins to 5-7.

According to the playoff simulator published by The New York Times, Sunday’s combination of scores increased the Broncos’ postseason chances to 71 percent. They stood at 70 percent heading into the day.

Another result that didn’t go the Broncos’ way in the early-afternoon games involved the Los Angeles Chargers, who now sit a full game ahead of the Broncos at 8-4 after holding off the reeling Atlanta Falcons, 17-13.

Los Angeles feasted on Falcon flubs, intercepting Kirk Cousins four times and dodging a bullet when Atlanta kicker missed a 35-yard field-goal attempt. That proved crucial in the final moments, as Atlanta drove into Los Angeles territory needing a touchdown, which forced them to go for it on fourth-and-12 at the Chargers 35-yard line with 47 seconds remaining.

That game doesn’t impact the Broncos being in the postseason, but could affect seeding the Orange and Blue can finish the job and end their eight-season playoff drought.

Denver controls its own outcome for the rest of the season, of course; if it wins its remaining games, the playoff skein will end.

But in the past four days, they gained a margin for error from the Bengals and Dolphins … but not from the Colts.

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