The Denver Broncos were the last team in the AFC to clinch a playoff spot back in the 2024 NFL Season. They defeated the Kansas City Chiefs at home in Week 18. The Chiefs were resting many of their starters, so the Broncos essentially beat up on backups.
And in the 2025 NFL Season, the Broncos became the first team in the AFC to clinch a playoff spot, and they also earned the No. 1 seed in the process. Here in 2026, the Broncos are 6-2 for the second season in a row and have won four-straight games and six of seven.
While we're still only at the halfway point of the season, the Broncos are all but guaranteed to clinch a playoff spot in Week 9 with a win.
Denver Broncos' playoff odds would creep closer to 100 percent with a Week 9 win
The percentages are already extremely high for the Broncos. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, the Broncos currently have a 92 percent chance to make the playoffs. With a win in Week 9, the team's chances at a playoff spot would rise to 95 percent. In a loss, their odds would fall to 88 percent, which is still quite high.
At the moment, the current playoff odds for the other teams in the AFC Playoff Picture are as follows:
Buffalo: 97 percent
Jacksonville: 97 percent
Pittsburgh: 78 percent
Kansas City: 84 percent
Cincinnati: 86 percent
New England: 76 percent
Denver's playoff odds being this high right now and even higher after a win make a ton of sense when you consider some of the teams the team has yet to play:
Las Vegas Raiders (2x)
Miami Dolphins
New York Jets
Los Angeles Chargers
That might, right there, be five more wins, along with a potential win in Week 9. The avenue for, let's say, a 12-5 season is quite clear. The team also has remaining games against Pittsburgh, Buffalo, and New England. Getting just one of those wins could easily have the Broncos sitting at 13-4.
Much of what was talked about with the Broncos this year was just how much easier their schedule gets after Week 6. Denver getting out to a 4-2 start felt like the best-case scenario, as it gives the team the chance to go on another run late in the season and again rack up a ton of wins.
As of now, obviously, nothing is guaranteed, but the Broncos are positioned well to continue this winning streak, and the bye coming in Week 10 is also rather ideal, as it sits right in the middle of the season and also gives the Broncos a chance to add players at the trade deadline and get them up to speed before the second-half stretch.
It could all be lining up again nicely for the Broncos in 2026.
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