The Broncos can officially clinch a playoff spot on Sunday

The Denver Broncos made the playoffs last season, but it took until Week 18.

This year they can get the job done in the middle of December.

That’s just one of the things on the line on Sunday when the Broncos host the Green Bay Packers at Empower Field at Mile High. Win, and Denver is officially in the postseason for a second year in a row.

There’s a slew of other ways the Broncos can lock up a playoff spot, but that’s the least complicated path. Here are all the scenarios, although you may have to open the tweet below to see each one.

Week 15 NFL Playoff Scenarios:

Heading into week 15 we have 23 teams left in Super Bowl contention, the fewest with four weeks to play since 2005.

And now we finally have playoff clinching scenarios.

AFC Clinching Scenarios:
DENVER @Broncos (11-2) will clinch playoff berth…

— Joe Ferreira (@JoeNFL) December 9, 2025

A postseason berth will be exciting, but this Denver team has higher expectations than that. They’re tied with the New England Patriots at 11-2 and control their own destiny for the No. 1 seed in the AFC.

The Broncos hold the tiebreakers, so finish with the same record as the Pats (and don’t get caught by anyone else) and the path to the Super Bowl will go through the Mile High City.

Meanwhile, clinching the AFC West will have to wait at least one more week. Denver got no help from Philadelphia on Monday Night Football, as the Eagles lost to the Chargers 22-19 in OT. Los Angeles is now 9-4 and two games back of the Broncos in the division.

If Denver has only a one-game lead on L.A. going into Week 18, the season finale at Empower Field at Mile High would be for the AFC West crown due to head-to-head tiebreakers. Let’s hope that’s not the case.

The Broncos need to keep winning, which is crazy because they’ve already taken 10 in a row. But in a tight conference, more victories are needed to set them up for the best path to success in the postseason.

Get a win this Sunday against the Packers and a spot in the dance is officially locked down.

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