The Denver Broncos got their butts kicked in Week 9, but this team still has quite the viable path to the playoffs in 2024. Even at this very moment, the Broncos are the 7th seed in the AFC playoffs, and NFL Next Gen Stats gives them a 46% chance to make the postseason in 2024.
If you told us the Broncos would be 5-4 after nine games and in a playoff spot, I think we'd all take that. The teams above Denver are the LA Chargers, Baltimore Ravens, Houston Texans, Pittsburgh Steelers, Buffalo Bills, and Kansas City Chiefs.
Unfortunately, the Broncos lost both of their games against the Steelers and Ravens, so they will not own the head-to-head tiebreaker. Frankly, with how solid both teams are, whichever of them does not win the AFC North, that team isn't going to finish with a worse record than Denver unless something crazy happens.
The LA Chargers are currently 5-3 after their Week 9 win, and even though they beat the Broncos earlier this year, the two clubs aren't far apart in overall skill. The two teams directly below the Broncos in the playoff picture are the 4-4 Indianapolis Colts and the 4-5 Cincinnati Bengals. NFL Next Gen Stats gives the Colts a 37% chance to make the playoffs and the Bengals a 33% chance.
The other huge thing here is that Denver is playing both Indy and Cincy later this season. Well, the Broncos not only have more wins than both teams, but also have a higher playoff chance at this moment, and those two clubs remain as the biggest threats to boot Denver from the playoffs.
Think about it; the Broncos are in a playoff spot at this moment. Is it crazy to think that they'd be able to win enough games the rest of the way to stave off the Colts and Bengals? Both teams are seriously flawed, and you could argue that they're more flawed than the Denver Broncos.
Maybe I'm being too optimistic here, but the Broncos still have some winnable games left on their schedule and could get some crucial head-to-head tiebreakers over the Colts and Bengals as well. Even with this brutal Week 9 loss at Baltimore, the team is not only still in a playoff position, but still has a legitimate shot at making it as well.
There is a ton of hope still left in this season.