Broncos playoff rooting guide for Week 14 includes cheering for the Chiefs

The Denver Broncos can't lose in Week 14 of the 2024 NFL season, and that's typically a pretty great position to be in. When you can guarantee that you won't lose on a given week in December in the NFL, you're in good shape. But the Denver Broncos have plenty to be rooting for when it comes to watching other teams go at it this weekend, including rooting against teams competing with them for one of the five spots left in the AFC playoff race.

The Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills have already secured playoff spots in 2024. The AFC playoff race has been heating up lately although the conference is overall quite a bit weaker than the NFC this season. Let's take a look at where things stand heading into Week 14, and who each team plays.

1. Kansas City Chiefs (11-1; home vs. Chargers)
2. Buffalo Bills (10-2; road vs. Rams)
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (9-3; home vs. Browns)
4. Houston Texans (8-5; BYE)
5. Los Angeles Chargers (8-4; road vs. Chiefs)
6. Baltimore Ravens (8-5; BYE)
7. Denver Broncos (8-5; BYE)

In The Hunt
8. Indianapolis Colts (6-7; BYE)
9. Miami Dolphins (5-7; home vs. Jets)
10. Cincinnati Bengals (4-8; road vs. Cowboys)

The Broncos' current playoff odds sit at 77 percent.

Broncos fans rooting for Chiefs, Browns, Cowboys, Jets in Week 14

The most important matchup the Denver Broncos will be paying attention to in Week 14 is actually not until Sunday Night Football. The Kansas City Chiefs are playing host to the Los Angeles Chargers in what should end up being a great test for both teams. The Chiefs have been in one-score games all year long and the Chargers have been playing really well for first-year head coach Jim Harbaugh.

This is a game the Broncos definitely want the Chiefs to win. The Chargers are currently the 5th seed in the AFC and hold the top Wild Card spot over both the Broncos and Ravens. They would drop to the 6th seed with a loss to the Chiefs on Sunday and the Broncos have a matchup against the Chargers in less than two weeks.

It would give Denver a chance to potentially take a one or two-game lead on the Chargers after that head-to-head matchup depending on what happens next Sunday against the Colts.

In the Steelers-Browns matchup, the stakes aren't overly high for the Broncos but rooting for the Browns in that instance can't hurt. The Steelers could still drop below Denver in the Wild Card race if they have a bit of a collapse in the final month of the season.

The Miami Dolphins are hosting the New York Jets and they continue to stick around a little bit here late in the season. Even with some help from the Packers on Thanksgiving, the Broncos still want to root for the Dolphins to lose as many games as possible. They are going to be favored at home against the Jets this weekend so we have to hope Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams can pull off an upset.

If the Dolphins win, they will be creeping around at 6-7 going into Week 15.

The Cincinnati Bengals are probably going to be road favorites against the Dallas Cowboys on Monday night, and if they win that game, they only improve to 5-8 this season. Still, there are scenarios in which the Bengals could creep into the playoff picture, especially with a Week 17 matchup against Denver looming. The obvious rooting interest here is Dallas, although do we really expect Cooper Rush to outduel Joe Burrow?

Teams to root for in Week 14: Chiefs, Browns, Jets, Cowboys