AFC has just six teams with winning records, good news for Denver

The Denver Broncos sit at 1-2 on the season, but that’s not a death sentence in the AFC.

In fact, it’s far from it.

Through three weeks of the NFL season the conference only has six teams with a winning record. And of course seven from the AFC will ultimately make the playoffs. It’s way too early to start looking at tiebreakers, but right now the No. 7 seed would actually go to the 1-2 Las Vegas Raiders.

That’s good news overall for the Broncos, as after they dominated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last Sunday, fans are re-energized and wondering if 2024 can finally be the year that Denver breaks its postseason drought. The Broncos haven’t been in the playoffs since 2015, when they won Super Bowl 50.

A peek at the standings is curious, and helps paint a picture of why the conference appears to be down as October approaches.

The Bengals and Jaguars are both a surprising 0-3. Many though that Cincinnati would be a Super Bowl contender while Jacksonville would be competitive for a playoff spot. But each teams laid an egg on Monday Night Football and remains winless.

The Ravens and Dolphins both being 1-2 is also something most didn’t see coming. Baltimore has an awful loss to the Raiders on their resume and Miami has quarterback issues after Tua Tagovailoa suffered yet another concussion. That’s four teams right there that many didn’t think the Broncos would be even with or ahead of after three games.

Meanwhile, the top of the AFC has two of the usual suspects in the Bills and Chiefs both at 3-0. They’re joined by the Steelers, which have ridden a strong defense to an undefeated start. Only the Texans, Jets and Chargers are 2-1, rounding out the six squads with winning records.

Long story short, it looks like an 9-8 record or even 8-9 could be good enough to get in the dance this year. And you better believe Broncos head coach Sean Payton knows that.

Stay tuned, as if the Broncos can get to 2-2 against the Jets this weekend, things will continue to trend in the right direction.

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