Denver Broncos: Playoff spot clinched with win on Monday

The Denver Broncos can clinch a spot in the playoffs with a victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football. Here are all of the scenarios…

Despite losing two straight games while watching the Kansas City Chiefs surge to nine straight wins, the Broncos are in position to clinch a playoff spot in week 16 with a victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. As we saw last year, that’s a little bit easier said than done…

Here are the clinching scenarios for week 16 and beyond for the Broncos, including tonight’s stakes…

The most critical thing for the Broncos is obviously for them to win this game. They need to find a way to kick and scream their way to a win against the Bengals, but a performance like the one we saw earlier this season against the Green Bay Packers would be preferable.

The Broncos have struggled through their last seven games since starting the season 7-0, going 3-4 in that span of time. With two straight losses on second half collapses, it’s clear that this Denver team is in need of a spark. The jolt they need will have to come in the second half of the game, as the first half has really been no issue at all.

At this point, the Broncos can either clinch home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, or they can find a way to miss them all together. That’s a scary thought, but it’s also the reality. More than likely, the Broncos will find a way to land somewhere in between, either making the playoffs as the 2nd seed in the AFC or simply taking their (rightful) spot tonight.

The defense is going to be juiced, and the offense is eager to prove the last couple of games have been a fluke and that it’s capable of putting up a lot of points and winning a big game against a playoff caliber team. The Broncos are nothing if not battle tested this season, having played two teams in the NFC playoffs as well as almost every team in the AFC playoff picture as well. Tonight’s game looms incredibly large.