Broncos playoffs hopes swing on Saturday’s clash against Lions

The Denver Broncos have won six of their last seven games, giving them a chance to break a long playoff drought. Yet the orange and blue’s lone loss in that stretch massively impacted their hopes of a postseason berth. All of the pain the 22-17 loss to the Houston Texans caused, could possibly be undone with a win over the Detroit Lions on Saturday.

The Broncos have about a 50/50 chance at dancing, according to the New York Times, while the NFL places Denver at about a 44% chance at making it to the postseason for the first time since 2015. The important number isn’t necessarily where Denver sits entering Week 15 but where they could be after.

The NFL says that the Broncos’ playoff leverage (35 percentage points) this weekend is by far the most of the four AFC bubble teams currently on the outside looking in. This means a loss could send Denver into the ditch and a win skyrocket the Broncos into the postseason. That is of course, because Denver finishes the season with three games against AFC foes who have a combined record of 13-26 and are now starting backup quarterbacks.

The NFL’s data pegs the Broncos playoff hopes at 67% with a win in Week 15 and at just 32% with a loss on Saturday. The New York Times has it being even more drastic at a 71% chance with a victory and 33% chance with a defeat. More extreme, if every result in the league goes against Denver, which would require a lot but only three visiting teams winning—the Texans, Steelers and Chiefs—,the Broncos playoff odds dip all the way to 23%. If the Broncos got every result over the weekend, the odds shoot all the way up to an 80% chance at the postseason.

Week 15 for what happens in Detroit and around the NFL is one of the most important slate of games in Broncos Country in quite some time.