The Denver Broncos’ performance to lock down the No. 1 seed wasn’t impressive or memorable. But it got the job done. That’s exactly what the Broncos have done this season.
The Denver Nuggets may not be the most dominant No. 1 seed ever, but going 14-3 in the NFL is difficult. The Broncos now join the NFC’s Seattle Seahawks in having two wins at home in Super Bowl LX.
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The Broncos defeated the Chargers 19-3 in a lackluster game. They were good enough to beat a Chargers team that had little chance to play and whose starters were resting, but they didn’t look like one of the best teams in the NFL. The offense didn’t score a touchdown. The defense has been good all season long and the Broncos should be thankful for that. The offense has to be better to beat conference round weekend opponents. But the important thing is that they will host a top seed on conference round weekend.
The last time the Broncos hosted a playoff game, Peyton Manning was the winning quarterback. They defeated Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski and the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game, and two weeks later defeated the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50. A long drought followed, hitting rock bottom with Nathaniel Hackett’s poor season as head coach. However, things could soon turn around in the NFL.
The Broncos traded for Sean Payton and drafted quarterback Bo Nix, which helped solve two of their biggest problems. The Broncos overcame salary cap issues and the loss of draft picks in the horrific Russell Wilson trade to make the playoffs last season and then became the AFC’s best team this season, ending the Chiefs’ nine-straight run as AFC West champions.
The Broncos got their break in Week 17 when the Texans defeated the Chargers. If the Chargers win, they will compete for the AFC West title in Week 18. Instead, they’re stuck in a wild-card spot with little chance to improve their standings in a meaningful way, and they’ve sent a number of players, including quarterback Justin Herbert. The path to the No. 1 seed is much easier against an unselfish Chargers team.
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It’s still not easy. The defense scored its first touchdown of the game when Trey Lance’s pass was deflected and intercepted by Ja’Quan McMillian, who returned it 45 yards for a touchdown. It ended up being the only touchdown of the game.
The Broncos defense was as good as ever. Lance had a prime opportunity to impress in a rare start but looked to be nothing more than a career backup. However, most quarterbacks will struggle to make much of a difference on the Broncos defense. That’s what makes them a dangerous opponent in the playoffs, especially with a bye on the horizon.
The Broncos won’t command the same respect as most No. 1 seeds. They’ve won a lot of close games this season. The Knicks’ offense hasn’t taken a step forward in its second season and could easily have had a bad game like Sunday’s. They had trouble with their JV team Sunday against the Chargers. But Denver has legitimate home-field advantage in altitude and won’t leave Colorado until the Super Bowl if they succeed. To those who underestimate the Denver Nuggets because of style points: It’s hard to win 14 games by accident.
Here are the remaining winners and losers from the late Week 18 games (the AFC South champion Jacksonville Jaguars lead the winners and losers in the early games):
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Winner
Ramond Stevenson: The New England Patriots don’t have much to play on Sunday, other than praying that the rested Chargers beat the Broncos to open up the possibility of a No. 1 seed. But the Patriots did return a starter, and Stevenson had a career day.
The Patriots defeated the Miami Dolphins 38-10 to end the season 14-3. The Broncos are the top seed in the tiebreaker, and the Patriots will forever lament their 21-0 lead and loss at home to the Bills a few weeks ago, but New England can feel good about entering the playoffs on a high note.
Stevenson stole the show. He rushed for 131 yards on just seven carries, two touchdowns, and a receiving touchdown. Running back TreVeyon Henderson added two more touchdowns.
The Patriots will not bid farewell as a No. 1 seed. But it was a productive day.
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Las Vegas guide: The Raiders are not trying to hide the shame of their desperate pursuit of the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. At least they didn’t screw up when it came to getting the No. 1 pick.
The Raiders have locked up the No. 1 pick ahead of their season finale against the Kansas City Chiefs. When the Giants won their first few games, the Raiders had the No. 1 pick. That way it won’t matter anymore when they beat the Kansas City Chiefs who are crawling across the finish line at season’s end. In one of the ugliest games of the season, the Raiders defeated the Chiefs 14-12. The two teams traded field goals in the final 1:01, culminating with a 60-yard field goal by Daniel Carlson with 8 seconds left. Neither team scored a touchdown. If this was Travis Kelce’s last game, it would be an unceremonious way to bow out. While that era with the Chiefs may be over, another one with the Raiders will soon begin.
The Raiders are almost certain to draft a quarterback with the No. 1 pick. Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza dominates the discussion, but Oregon’s Dante Moore will also be a candidate if he enters the draft. A crucial offseason is coming. The Raiders appear likely to resign coach Pete Carroll, so a new staff will take over. The Raiders will be getting a quarterback who can finally provide some hope for better days ahead.
Matthew Stafford’s MVP chances: Is it possible for Stafford to surpass Derek Meyer and win his first MVP on the final day of the season?
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This will be a difficult decision for voters. Stafford finished with four touchdown passes in a 37-20 victory over the Arizona Cardinals. The Rams struggled for most of the game but started to shine late in the game. Stafford threw two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter to help the Rams win. It was his fourth four-touchdown game of the season. He has 46 touchdowns this season. With the win, the Rams clinched the fifth seed and will face the Panthers on wild-card weekend.
The MVP race has been a two-man battle between Stafford and the Patriots’ Derek Meyer for some time. New England also won on Sunday night, but Meyer had a relatively quiet day, racking up 191 yards and a touchdown.
After Stafford’s poor performance last week against the Falcons, Meyer could be on top heading into Week 18. Stafford was even better in Sunday’s game. Will this swing the votes back in Stafford’s favor?
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loser
Philadelphia Eagles: Maybe the Eagles should fight for the No. 2 seed.
The Eagles rested starters, opted not to pursue the No. 2 seed and opted to play a wild-card game against the Green Bay Packers, who may be the most vulnerable. Wild card team after Micah Parsons injury. The Eagles need to win and get the Bears beat by the Lions. The Eagles came off the bench and the Bears were frustrated. The same goes for the Eagles, who won 24-17 in Washington, led by No. 3 quarterback Josh Johnson.
Maybe it doesn’t matter. The rested Eagles will face the 49ers on wild-card weekend, and perhaps have more important games left than an easier game against Green Bay. But if they lose that game, or potentially lose next weekend’s road game to the second-seeded Bears, there will be renewed speculation about why they didn’t try to get a more favorable seed.
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Chicago Bears: The Bears’ performance on Sunday was a bit disturbing.
They have something tangible to play for against the Detroit Lions, who were eliminated from the playoffs last week. A victory to secure the second seed would allow them to play the weaker Green Bay Packers instead of facing the Rams or 49ers. The Bears played out their starting lineup as Philadelphia lost to Washington and still clinched the No. 2 seed, but it’s hard to view Sunday as a positive day for the Bears.
In Chicago, the Lions dominated the Bears for much of the first three quarters. The Bears rallied in the fourth quarter, with Caleb Williams and the passing game finally coming to life after struggling for most of the game, but the Lions won 19-16 on a field goal as time expired.
The Bears didn’t rest their key players and ultimately lost. They don’t seem very good at doing it either. Now, on wild-card weekend, they’ll face a Packers team that rested its starters in Week 18.
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Aaron Glenn: To be fair, Glenn’s No. 3 quarterback and early-season defense were already weak. But the Jets were abysmal for most of Glenn’s first season as head coach.
The Jets started the season 0-7 but have ended up losing most of their games since November. The latest loss is the worst, and the Buffalo Bills are definitely at a disadvantage as they rest their starters before the playoffs begin next week. The Bills defeated the Jets 35-8 in the final game of the regular season at Highmark Stadium.
The Jets were backups to the Bills and couldn’t even play in the game. With 4 minutes and 58 seconds left in the first half, the Bills led 21-0. The Bills defeated the Jets 248-29 and made the first score 15-1. It would be terrible if this happened to Josh Allen and James Cook. The games against Mitchell Trubisky and Ray Davis were awkward. Trubisky had 259 yards and four touchdowns. The Jets threw no interceptions, inexplicably becoming the first team in NFL history to go a season without one.
After a 3-14 season, there wasn’t much speculation that Glenn would be in any trouble. But there’s no clear indication that he’s the right coach for the job. We’ll find out more next season.
