After a hard fought regular season that had everything from QB controversies to heroic defensive performances, the
Broncos found a way to secure a precious postseason spot. In what may go down as one of the oddest final months in Broncos history, the Broncos felt everything from jubilation to complete disarray in the last month of the season.
After defeating a then undefeated New England Patriots squad in the last game of November, the Broncos were seemingly on course to cruise to a first round bye in the AFC playoffs (possibly as the #1 seed). After dismantling the Chargers 17-3 the following week, everything seemed set up for the 10-2 Broncos to make the final push for a Super Bowl appearance.
Little did we know, there were some stumbling blocks along the way. After two inexplicable losses to the Raiders and Steelers, the Broncos suddenly found themselves not only in a losing streak, but facing the possibility of missing the playoffs all together. With a week left in regular season, the 10-4 Broncos faced a scenario that hasn’t been seen in a long time(if ever). In the span of the final week, the Broncos could have finished with the #1 seed or missed the playoffs entirely. Just think about that for a second…
Done thinking about that mind blowing stat? Ok. Fortunately for the Broncos faithful, Denver won their final two games and thanks to a little help from the guys in South Beach, they were able to secure the #1 in the AFC. The benefits of having the #1 seed? Well, where do you want to start? We have an extra week to rest the players, every postseason game up until the Super Bowl will be played in Denver and we had enough time to settle the much maligned QB controversy(is it really a controversy?).
Aside from the benefits I listed above, another advantage the Broncos have being the #1 seed is that they get to have a bit of a head start in preparations against their Divisional Round opponent. They are three teams that the Broncos could encounter next week, all with great strengths and weaknesses. To get a better idea of who the Broncos could be facing, let’s take a look at each of the possible opponents and some of their strengths and weaknesses heading into next week’s game. Let’s get started.