Broncos race to No. 5 seed will involve rooting for Russell Wilson
Dec 10, 2024, 1:25 PM
It’s no secret the Denver Broncos probably want the No. 5 seed in the AFC playoffs.
Players and coaches likely won’t say that out loud, but a matchup with the Houston Texans in the first-round sure sounds a lot more appealing than say a trip to Buffalo to take on the Bills.
The Texans are probably going to win a bad AFC South and be the No. 4 seed. The Bills, meanwhile, have clinched the AFC East and seem poised to be either the No. 2 or No. 3 seed. They’ll battle with the Pittsburgh Steelers for that slot, while unfortunately it looks like the Kansas City Chiefs will be the No. 1 one seed with their two-game lead in the conference.
So how can the Broncos climb to No. 5 and set up a likely date with the Texans?
The obvious answer is win. If Denver can get to 11-6 or even 12-5 they’ll be in great shape. Right now they’re tied with the Baltimore Ravens and Los Angeles Chargers at 8-5, but due to tiebreakers are the No. 7 seed. The Ravens are No. 5 because they beat both the Broncos and Chargers. L.A. is six thanks to their win over Denver.
The good news is the Broncos still have another game with the Chargers. That will be on Thursday night, Dec. 19 at SoFi Stadium. Win that game, and leapfrogging Jim Harbaugh, Justin Herbert and company looks very plausible.
Here’s where it gets tricky. To pass Baltimore, Denver will need help. And that most likely help comes from our old friend (enemy?) Russell Wilson. The Ravens toughest game left on their schedule is Saturday, Dec. 21 when they host the Steelers. Baltimore already lost once to Pittsburgh earlier this year, and Broncos Country will be hopeful they do it again.
It’s a bit of a strange feeling, but just like Kansas City beating Los Angeles this past Sunday night was good for Denver, so would that outcome. The Ravens also have the Giants, Texans and Browns on their schedule, so the Steelers game is their most likely stumble.
As for the Chargers, they have the Buccaneers, Broncos, Patriots and Raiders left. That’s not exactly a gauntlet. The Broncos will play the Colts, Chargers, Bengals and Chiefs. Cincinnati might be out of it by Week 17 and Kansas City could definitely rest its starters in Week 18 if the No. 1 seed is locked up.
There will be a lot of scoreboard watching over the next few weeks as Denver looks to move up the standings. First and foremost, they have to handle their own business then see how the chips fall.