The Denver Broncos could not have played any worse in Week 1. Getting blown out by the Kansas City Chiefs was not something any of us expected, but it happened, and it's been time to flush the game and move into Week 2.
Denver's Week 2 showdown doesn't exactly present an easier challenge, though, as the Jacksonville Jaguars have won nine regular season games in a row, and during that stretch, quarterback Trevor Lawrence has been on fire.
And in 2025 when the playoff seeding sorted itself out, the Broncos just barely scraped by with that top seed, and when you dig a bit deeper into how close it was, this Week 2 game could end up being vitally important when January rolls around.
Denver Broncos' Week 2 tilt could end up being a tiebreaker game for playoff seeding
The top seeds for the AFC playoffs last year looked like this:
1. Denver Broncos: 14-3
2. New England Patriots: 14-3
3. Jacksonville Jaguars: 13-4
Obviously, Denver drew the bye and home-field advantage. The New England Patriots and Jaguars had to play in the Wild Card Round, and while the Patriots did make it to the AFC Championship Game, the Jaguars drew the Buffalo Bills in the first round and lost.
And had the Broncos lost one more game last year, they would have fallen to the third seed and would have had to deal with Buffalo in the first round. Because the Jaguars beat the Broncos last year, they earned the crucial head-to-head tiebreaker, which ended up not being needed due to Denver having the better record, but it's a very real possibility that this could end up being present later in the year.
If the Broncos and Jaguars both finish 12-5, win their respective divisions, and the Jaguars win in Week 2, they would earn a higher playoff seed. This same would be true if both teams lost their divisions and were in Wild Card seeds.
Now, yes, this would only come into play if both teams finished with the same record, but it's also a valid reason to look at this Week 2 game as being important, not just in the present, but months down the line.
We could even relate this to the Patriots, as the Broncos earned a higher seed than New England thanks to the Patriots losing to the Las Vegas Raiders earlier in 2025, which was a common opponent tiebreaker. Denver did benefit from both of those tiebreakers last year, and while you may roll your eyes that we're talking about the playoffs this early in the season, it's also the reason why these teams play the games.
A Week 2 win prevents the Broncos from falling to 0-2 for the second time in three seasons, but it also gives the team a potential head-to-head tiebreaker, should that be needed.
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