There will be plenty of time to talk about what the Denver Broncos' 31-13 win over the Indianapolis Colts in Week 15 wasn't, but we need to first talk about what it was.
What this game was was the Broncos' 9th win of the 2024 season...so far. The Broncos have secured a winning season for the first time since 2016 when Gary Kubiak was the head coach and Trevor Siemian was the team's starting quarterback. What this game was was likely the final nail in the coffin for the Indianapolis Colts as far as their 2024 playoff chances are concerned.
The Broncos got some incredibly timely turnovers once again this week, as well as a stroke of good fortune that Broncos fans haven't seen in ages. The entire complexion of the Week 15 win against the Colts shifted when Colts running back Jonathan Taylor prematurely dropped the ball as he was about to cross the goal line for a 41-yard score...
Call overturned! This TD was ruled a touchback 😳 pic.twitter.com/jRlTeq9QQs
— NFL (@NFL) December 15, 2024
Broncos take advantage of historically bad mistake from Colts RB Jonathan Taylor
The mistake by Jonathan Taylor turned a potential 20-7 Colts lead into new life for the Denver Broncos. And the Broncos made them pay dearly.
Denver went on to score 24 unanswered points, including two more touchdown passes from Bo Nix and a pick-six by Defensive Player of the Year candidate Nik Bonitto, which was officially ruled a fumble returned for a touchdown because the pass was a backwards lateral.
Regardless of the technicalities, the Broncos ended up winning an otherwise very tense game quite comfortably, despite a very rough performance from rookie quarterback Bo Nix and the offense, in general.
This wasn't the Broncos' best offensive performance, but they made huge plays when they desperately needed them. The Broncos struggled once again to run the football, this time against the league's 31st-ranked run defense.
But none of that matters at the moment as the Broncos are now heading into Thursday Night Football against the Los Angeles Chargers with a 9-5 record and in the 6th overall seed in the AFC playoff race.
AFC Playoff Picture after Week 15
1. Kansas City Chiefs (12-1)
2. Buffalo Bills (11-3)
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-4)
4. Houston Texans (9-5)
5. Baltimore Ravens (9-5)
6. Denver Broncos (9-5)
7. Los Angeles Chargers (8-6)
The Los Angeles Chargers got beat pretty badly by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Miami Dolphins lost to the Houston Texans. The Broncos got some needed help this week but the most important bit of information: They took care of their own business in a big way.
Getting a win against the Colts and getting a leg up on the Chargers has set the Broncos up with a 92 percent chance of making the playoffs with three games left to play. If the Broncos win just one of their final three games (@Chargers, @Bengals, vs. Chiefs) they will make the playoffs. And there are other scenarios that will be explored.
But for the time being -- a win against the Chargers gets the Broncos back in the playoffs for the first time since 2015 when they won Super Bowl 50.