In Week 18, securing a playoff spot through victory is vital for the Denver Broncos to regain their significance within the league.
There's no sugarcoating it, the Denver Broncos must triumph and secure a playoff spot against the Kansas City Chiefs led by backup quarterbacks in Week 18.
According to all metrics and evaluations, the 9-7 Broncos have surpassed expectations. In a season anticipated to be a rebuilding one, led by rookie quarterback Bo Nix following the collapse of the Russell Wilson experiment, head coach Sean Payton has miraculously transformed a team lacking star players into a playoff contender. To be precise, apart from Courtland Sutton and Patrick Surtain, the Broncos do not possess any prominent former Pro Bowlers on either the offensive or defensive sides.
However, a three-game losing streak to conclude the season, specifically against a Chiefs team that appears to be winding down with nothing to vie for, would be utterly catastrophic. The Broncos could still theoretically make their way into the playoffs with a defeat, provided the Cincinnati Bengals falter against the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Miami Dolphins succumb to the New York Jets.
Banking on these two outcomes instead of taking care of business against the Carson Wentz-led Chiefs might be overly optimistic. Simply stated, take care of business, avenge your Week 10 loss against Kansas City, and seal the Broncos' first playoff berth since the 2015 season, when they emerged victorious in Super Bowl 50.
Former Broncos and Hall of Fame safety Brian Dawkins anticipates Denver securing a playoff spot due to the team encountering the Chiefs’ substitutes.
“I'm going to say yes, but more because I believe the Kansas City Chiefs will handle their business to secure the No. 1 seed and rest their players," said Dawkins just before the Chiefs defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers to secure the No. 1 seed in Week 17.
Sutton — a Broncos member since 2018 — is now in a situation where Denver can secure a playoff berth in the final week of the season simply by winning.
“We have to play to win, that's all that matters,” Sutton said on Wednesday. “We don't care about none of the other stuff. Whoever has on shoulder pads and is wearing red, white, and yellow, we have to beat them boys."
Regardless of a $53 million dead cap hit from releasing Wilson and an NFL-record $85 million in dead cap money for the 2024 season, the Broncos find themselves poised to enter the playoffs as the seventh seed.
Not too shabby for a team that was assigned an over/under win total of just 5.5 victories at the beginning of the season and, according to Pro Football Focus, had the worst roster in the league.
For a once-respected franchise that currently boasts the second-longest playoff drought in the NFL, securing a playoff spot would go a long way towards returning the team to its winning ways that characterized the Pat Bowlen era. During Bowlen's tenure (1984-2019), the Broncos won three Super Bowls, reached the championship game seven times, and had the second-highest winning percentage (.601) in the NFL and the third-highest in American professional sports.
Since the beginning of the 2016 season, the Broncos have been significantly detached from their winning ways, posting the 25th-most wins in the NFL during that time frame.
Relinquishing an opportunity to secure a playoff spot in the final three weeks after leading 24-13 over the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 16, requiring only one first down after a missed kick by the Bengals in overtime in Week 17, and losing against the Wentz-led Chiefs at home with nothing to compete for would be unforgivable. It would be as unfavorable as the Broncos squandering an opportunity to secure the division with three games remaining and a three-game lead during the 2008 season.
“As I told the team this morning, our focus needs to be on this team in general," said Payton on Wednesday. “They’ll be some different people in new positions. It's not like college, though. We don’t have rosters of 105, 110 (players).”
Although the 2024 Broncos have made considerable progress in expunging the downgrade the franchise has endured in the previous decade, there's no denying it — they need to secure a playoff spot to deem this season a success.
Securing a playoff berth and ending the franchise's uncommon playoff drought is the initial step towards rejuvenating this franchise and restoring a winning culture.
- In light of Patrick Surtain II's impressive performance, he has emerged as a potential Pro Bowler for the Denver Broncos this season.
- Despite the departure of Russell Wilson, former Seattle Seahawks head coach Sean Payton has managed to revitalize the Broncos, with quarterback Bo Nix leading the charge.
- The Kansas City Chiefs, now relying on backup quarterbacks, face the Denver Broncos in a crucial Week 18 matchup, a game that could impact Courtland Sutton's chances of playing in the NFL playoffs with the Denver Broncos for the first time since 2018.
- If former New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton can guide the Denver Broncos past the Kansas City Chiefs' backup quarterbacks, it could set the stage for an unlikely joust between him and his former protégé, current Chiefs coach Andy Reid, in the NFL playoffs.
