Despite Loss, Broncos Still In Control Of AFC West
By Dustin Davis
Moral victories are never as fulfilling as real victories, but sometimes, that is all you have to fall back on to feel better. After the New England Patriots snapped the Denver Broncos six-game winning streak in a 41-23 victory on Sunday, the Broncos tried to make since of how they lost the game. They didn’t have to look far to see that the main culprit was turnovers, with muffed punts and lost fumbles being costly in the teams first defeat since they fell to the Detroit Lions in October.
But despite the loss, the Broncos were given an early Christmas present by the aforementioned Lions, who were able to rally by the Oakland Raiders, the Broncos’ closest division title opponent, in a dramatic 28-27 win. The loss by the Raiders kept them one game behind the Broncos in the chase for the AFC West title, and a dominate win by the third place San Diego Chargers Sunday night closed the gap between them and Oakland.
Going into Week 16, the Broncos are in the drivers seat when it comes to winning the AFC West championship, but it certainly isn’t a done deal yet. Here are the scenarios for the Broncos:
The Broncos win the AFC West by:
1) Winning their last two games (Week 16 @ Buffalo Bills, Week 17 vs. Kansas City Chiefs)
OR
2) Defeating Kansas City in Week 17
OR
3) Defeating Buffalo in Week 16 and Oakland losing one of last two games
OR
4) Oakland defeats Kansas City in Week 16 AND San Diego loses to Detroit in Week 16 AND San Diego defeats Oakland in Week 17
The Broncos have four main scenarios where they can win the division, while the other division rivals only have one each. Obviously, the last second Tebow-esque heroics by the Lions on Sunday were huge for the Broncos’ division hopes, but the win by the red hot Chargers kept San Diego in the race as well. So basically, if your a Broncos fan, you should of course pull for a win over the Bills, but you should also make arrangements to be temporary fans of the Lions and Chiefs for Week 16. But don’t worry, it’s only for one day.
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