Broncos drop to third in AFC West, ‘next five are must-wins’

Within a few hours Sunday, the Denver Broncos went from potentially playing the Kansas City Chiefs for a share of the AFC West lead to playing for second place to coming up third in a division that’s arguably the best in the NFL.

As the Oakland Raiders mounted its fourth-quarter comeback against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, the shot at Denver regaining at least part of first place slowly slipped away.

And as the Chiefs executed some late-game heroics itself, the Broncos’ slipped into third place in the AFC West — and possibly into precarious territory when it comes postseason play.

“It was a playoff game for us,” safety Darian Stewart said after the game. “I think we’re still in third place, so these next five are must-wins. It’s that simple. We’ve got to be better and be ready for Jacksonville next week.”

If the playoffs were held today, the Broncos would miss the cut by one seed, with the Miami Dolphins securing the sixth and final spot and the Chiefs a No. 5 seed. Oakland would have the No. 2 seed and a first-round by.

“If we want to make the playoffs and we want to go on a run and we want to go back to back, we’ve got to pretty much win out and just keep going and get hot. That’s what it’s about,” wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders said after the game.

If Denver can’t catch the 9-2 Raiders, it would be the first time since the team missed the playoffs in 2010 with a 4-12 record that Denver will not have won the AFC West.

But after the game, cornerback Chris Harris said it’s not necessarily about winning the division, but if the Broncos can get into the playoffs by any means they can be dangerous.

“We’ve just got to get into the playoffs,” said Harris. “I feel like if we get into the playoffs, we can be scary for anybody. That’s the main goal right now.”

Follow digital content producer Johnny Hart on Twitter: @JohnnyHart7.