Who should Broncos fans be cheering on during the bye week?

The home stretch of the NFL season is getting closer with Thanksgiving Day right around the corner. For the Denver Broncos, who are currently the No. 1 seed in the AFC, they finally get their long-awaited bye week to rest up and regroup this week, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t other games around the league that can have major impacts on the orange and blue.

Nothing is close to being clinched for Denver or anyone in the AFC. While they control their destiny for the AFC West title, they still need some help to be in a favorable position for the No. 1 seed in the playoffs. Who should Broncos Country be cheering for during the bye week?

BILLS VS. TEXAS

This AFC showdown is the first game of the Week, a Thursday night clash between the 7-3 Buffalo Bills and the 5-5 Houston Texans. Buffalo is currently in control of the top Wild Card spot in the playoffs and sit 1.5 games behind the Patriots for the lead in the AFC East. The Texans are in the No. 8 slot, the first team out of the bracket.

Broncos fans should be rooting for Buffalo to win this one. Denver struggled against Houston’s elite defense a few weeks back, and squeaked out a victory largely due to the fact that backup quarterback Davis Mills was in the game for Houston and couldn’t move the ball. Given the nature of playoff football, an elite defense can instantly ruin a good team’s season, and that Houston team made Bo Nix look like an undrafted free agent under center, not a top-12 pick.

The last thing Denver needs is for Houston to squeak into the bracket and come to the Mile High City for the 2-7 Wild Card game. That would be an ugly contest, and not one that Broncos fans will want to see in January.

Buffalo is currently a 5.5-point favorite for Thursday’s contest.

PATRIOTS VS. BENGALS

While the Bengals’ playoff hopes are essentially in the dumpster, they have the chance to play spoiler for New England’s No. 1 seed hopes. Denver and New England are currently tied atop the AFC with a 9-2 record, but Denver holds the tiebreaker because of conference win percentage. If the Bengals — who could potentially get star quarterback Joe Burrow back for the first time since September — can pull off a one-of-a-kind upset, that would be a massive help for the Broncos.

Cincinnati still has two games against Baltimore and one against Buffalo on the schedule. If Burrow looks like himself following foot surgery, they could play spoiler for a few teams, not just New England.

The Patriots are currently 6.5-point favorites for Sunday’s contest.

COLTS VS. CHIEFS

This game, widely regarded as the top game of the week, is a tough one for Broncos fans. If the Colts lose, then Denver is up a game on them for the top seed. If the Chiefs lose, Patrick Mahomes path to the playoffs gets very muddy.

Broncos fans should be rooting for Indianapolis in this one. While that outcome would knock Denver off the pedestal for the top spot in the conference, it’s more important that the Chiefs don’t find a way to sneak into the playoffs and wreak havoc as a 7-seed. If Kansas City loses this one, they would drop to 5-7, and with another game against both the Chargers and the Broncos still on the schedule, the road to making to playoffs would get real dark.

Also, Daniel Jones has started to look more like his old self over the past three weeks. More importantly, would you want to see Mahomes in a playoff game? Or would you rather see someone like Trevor Lawrence or C.J. Stroud, or a Chargers team that doesn’t have a healthy offensive line? The answer seems pretty clear.

Kansas City is currently a 3.5-point favorite for this contest.

JETS VS. RAVENS

The Ravens are in a similar boat as the Chiefs. With five losses to their name, they don’t have much room for error down the stretch, even with Lamar Jackson running the offense. While this is the most unlikely outcome of the four games, Broncos Country should be cheering on the Jets to somehow pull out a miraculous upset.

It’s the same exact question as before. Would you rather see Lamar Jackson or one of Stroud, Lawrence or an unprotected Herbert in a playoff game?

Baltimore is currently a 13.5-point favorite for this contest.

Here’s the bottom line. There are three five-loss teams knocking on the door of the playoffs that the Broncos shouldn’t want to see in January. If all three can lose this weekend, it would give Denver a better chance of seeing an unproven football club rather than a sleeping juggernaut. The Colts schedule is getting harder, and given the fact that Jones hasn’t been playing like he was to start the season, there will be many more chances for Denver to get the No. 1 seed than there will be to get Mahomes and the Chiefs closer to their couches for the postseason.

Also, if Denver keeps its foot on the gas, the orange and blue will be in a great position come playoff time.

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