The Denver Broncos can clinch a playoff spot if the Bengals and Dolphins both lose. Well, who are the opposing QBs for those matchups? Of course the Denver Broncos may have to rely on none other than Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers for their playoff hopes. It's actually hysterical when you think about it.
The team ended up being heavily involved in both QBs a couple of years ago. There were rumors that the Broncos were close to landing Aaron Rodgers in a trade with the Green Bay Packers, and some assumed that George Paton's decision to hire Nathaniel Hackett back in 2022 was to also lure Rodgers to the Mile High City.
The Broncos might have to rely on WHO?
Rodgers stayed in Green Bay in 2022 for one final season, but the Broncos then pivoted to their second option in Russell Wilson, who was clearly wanting to play for a new team. In a historic trade, Russell Wilson was sent to the Denver Broncos for multiple draft picks and players.
The Wilson era did not work out in Denver, and the Rodgers era has failed with the New York Jets, so it is kind of ironic that the Broncos may have to rely on both of them for their playoff hopes. Russell Wilson and the Pittsburgh Steelers host the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 18. If the Steelers beat the Bengals, they are out of the postseason.
If Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets beat the Miami Dolphins at home, the Dolphins are also out. Denver can simply take care of business themselves with a win in Week 18, but you just never know what could happen. The Bengals and Steelers play on Saturday, so Denver will know that result before they take the field on Sunday.
The Dolphins and Jets play each other on Sunday at the same time that the Chiefs and Broncos play, so if the Bengals lose, the Broncos may be scoreboard-watching along with actually playing in their own game.
The final Wild Card spot in the AFC is either going to the Broncos, Dolphins, or Bengals. Denver has the easiest path toward the postseason. They can either win or tie and get in, or get it with the Dolphins and Bengals losing, so they may have to rely on none other than Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers in the most unexpected scenario you could possibly imagine in Week 18 of the 2024 NFL Season.