Dec 16 2012; Baltimore, MD, USA; Denver Broncos outside linebacker Wesley Woodyard (52) reacts to the win over the Baltimore Ravens (USA Today Sports).

The divisional round of the AFC playoffs is set in stone. It will be the Denver Broncos hosting the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday and the New England Patriots hosting the Houston Texans on Sunday. Both games will kick off at 2:30 p.m. on CBS.

The Broncos beat the Ravens 34-17 in week 15 which was the team’s second (and last) home loss of the season. The game was highlighted by a Chris Harris 98-yard pick-6 to help put the Broncos up 17-0 by halftime. Peyton Manning had a relatively quiet day going 17-for-28 for 204 yards and 1 touchdown.

The Broncos and the Ravens have met just once in post season play. The Ravens beat the Broncos 21-3 in Baltimore in 2000.

The Broncos enter the postseason with an 18-16 (.529) all-time record in playoff games. They have played in 12 divisional round playoff games and have an 8-4 overall record (7-2 home, 1-2 away) in those.

Entering the 2012 postseason, the Broncos’ 53-man roster features 36 players who have appeared in a combined total of 140 playoff games.

Of those 140 playoff games, 58 have come in the Divisional round by a total of 33 different players.

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The Denver Broncos will look to leapfrog the Houston Texans for the AFC’s top spot next week (Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports).

With the Texans‘ surprising 23-6 loss to the Vikings on Sunday afternoon and the Denver Broncos’ 34-12 beat down of the Browns, the men in orange are suddenly eying the top seed in the AFC.  What seemed like a long shot after the first five-and-a-half games of the season has now been put on the table because of the Broncos’ ten-game win streak.

It is not the neatest of packages for the Broncos, however.  They would still need a win and a Texans loss to a Colts team that already has their No. 5 seed locked up.  So the simplified week 17 scenario lines up like this:

The Broncos will have the No. 1 seed with a win and a Texans loss next week.

The Broncos get the No. 2 seed with a win regardless of what happens with the Texans and the Patriots.

The Broncos lose the bye and take the No.3 seed with a loss against the Chiefs and a Patriots win.

If the Broncos are able to clinch the AFC’s best record, it would be the sixth time (’77, ’87, ’89, ’96, ’98) in team history,  it would likely delay a dangerous Patriots team from matching up with the Broncos until the AFC Championship game, and perhaps most importantly, it would ensure the road to the Super Bowl goes through Sports Authority Field at Mile High.

Things are looking very good in Broncos Country.

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Champ Bailey celebrates a win. (Jack Dempsey/AP Photo)

Whenever two cities clash in a major sporting event, it’s not uncommon for the two mayors of said cities to make a friendly wager.

This week we had Denver Mayor Michael Hancock offering to pay Boston Mayor Tom Menino in beer should the Patriots beat the Broncos.

“We have the best…. Colorado Rocky beer? Uck,” Menino said.

Clearly Menino hasn’t been to Colorado, which is often considered the Napa Valley of beers.

Instead, Hancock will buy Menino a steak dinner and he will wear a Patriots’ jersey to a public event if the Broncos lose. If the Broncos prevail, Menino will buy Hancock a lobster dinner and put a Tim Tebow jersey on the city’s Paul Revere statue.

Here’s hoping history will help the Broncos who face a Patriots team that has lost their past three playoff games. The Broncos are 2-0 in playoff games against the Patriots.

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