Broncos remain in control of their own destiny for No. 1 seed in AFC

Denver Broncos fans were rooting for the New York Giants on Monday Night Football.

Womp womp.

In a game that was never competitive, the New England Patriots blasted the Giants 33-15 to get 11-2 on the season. That means they hold the No. 1 seed in the AFC… for now.

The good news is the Patriots finally have their bye this weekend, so the 10-2 Broncos can equal them with a win on Sunday in Las Vegas against the Raiders. Pete Carroll’s squad is 2-10 and counting down the days to the offseason, so it should be a relatively easy win for Denver. Then again, almost every game this year for the Broncos has been competitive.

And the best news is that head coach Sean Payton, QB Bo Nix and the rest of the Denver roster remain in control of their own destiny for the No. 1 seed in the AFC. If both the Broncos and Patriots finish at 15-2, Denver will win the tiebreaker based on the third one on the list, which is common opponents.

Obviously, the two don’t play head-to-head this season for the first tiebreaker. The second is record in conference, which both Denver and New England would finish 12-2 if each keeps winning.

After that, it’s common opponents, which fortunately the Patriots lost to the Raiders all the way back in Week 1. If the Broncos handle business, they’ll be 2-0 against Vegas this year.

Elsewhere, the AFC West still isn’t a wrap, and Week 18 against the Chargers could loom large. They improved to 8-4 on Sunday and if L.A. can get within one game of the Broncos before the finale, that showdown will be for the division. A Los Angeles win and Denver loss would give them the same record, but the Chargers would be 2-0 against the Broncos and take the AFC West crown.

The reality is Denver just needs to keep winning. They’re in great shape in the NFL standings — and there’s a real path for the road to the Super Bowl to go through Empower Field at Mile High.

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