After picking up their tenth straight win and eleventh of the season, the Denver Broncos start the week on the verge of accomplishing something they haven’t accomplished in quite some time. The AFC West Division title and the top seed in the AFC playoffs are within reach. As long as the Broncos can take care of themselves down the stretch.
The Broncos should be ecstatic about where the team is with four games remaining. Even better is that the Kansas City Chiefs’ reign as division king is finally over. The AFC itself appears to be turning over a new leaf – a changing of the guard. Several different teams are paving the way for the playoffs, making this year’s list of potential playoff opponents even more unique than in previous years.
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The final four games of the season won’t be easy for Denver. Two of those games are against the division-leading Green Bay Packers and Jacksonville Jaguars. What about everyone else? Over Christmas, opponents will battle the desperate Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers to end the season in early January.
“We’ve been here for a while, with some really good football coming in, focused on what we can do to win the division. The Chargers are very much in the fight,” head coach Sean Payton said.
If Denver hopes to win the Western Conference and secure the top seed in the AFC, there’s no room for error. They defeated the New England Patriots, who also had an 11-2 record, in an important tiebreaker. However, on paper, the Patriots have an easier schedule over the past four games.
Nonetheless, this year’s Broncos are a battle-tested team that displays toughness, bravery and stubbornness every week. Why can’t this year’s Broncos be the AFC Champions? Payton believes the team’s ability to earn tough wins has been a hallmark of this season. Plus, their week-to-week preparations have been serving them well so far.
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“There’s a formula that your team knows is necessary because it’s happened. That formula includes good performances on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. A lot of people say games are won three days before the game starts,” Payton said.
“We’re a more experienced team having had this success, been through some tough games, close games, but I would say I thought we were a smarter team today and understand the fine lines of our league,” he added.
In Week 15, the Broncos will face a formidable rival in the Packers. Green Bay sits atop the NFC North with a 9-3-1 record and has a chance to become the NFC’s top seed. Their offense, powered by quarterback Jordan Love and running back Joshua Jacobs, has been hitting its stride of late. Additionally, their offensive line plays a huge role in protecting Love, and they typically play turnover-free football.
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Their defense? Also, pretty good. They are finally starting to get healthy and do a good job of limiting opposing teams’ ability to score. Led by All-Pro rusher Micah Parsons, they will certainly get after opposing quarterbacks. Winning the turnover battle on Sunday would be huge, and it’s worth noting that the Packers defense has forced at least one turnover in seven of the last eight games.
It’s the final countdown for our beloved Broncos, folks. Every game from now on is extremely important. If we’ve learned anything this season, it’s that you can never count Denver out. Even so, they’ll have to be at their best this weekend to take down Green Bay. If they do that, it would put them one step closer to winning the Western Conference and earning the coveted No. 1 seed in the AFC Champions League.
