The Denver Broncos have set themselves up for a "win and in" scenario on Thursday night against the Los Angeles Chargers. If the Broncos can find a way to beat the Chargers, they are guaranteed a spot in the playoffs this season.
What a time to be alive...
As much success as the Broncos have been having this year, the NFL is taking notice and is trying to get more eyes on one of the teams that has been among the best stories in the league this season. As a result, the Broncos will play their second-straight "flexed" game in Week 17. After facing off against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 16 -- a game that was already flexed from Sunday to Thursday (the first of its kind in NFL history) -- the Broncos will travel to Cincinnati to take on the Bengals in Week 17 on Saturday, December 28 at 2:30 PM MT.
Broncos-Bengals game in Week 17 flexed to Saturday afternoon (2:30 PM MT)
The slate for the Week 17 Saturday Tripleheader on @nflnetwork! pic.twitter.com/7hwBpdUvn2
— NFL (@NFL) December 17, 2024
The Broncos have a chance to go into Cincinnati already having locked in a playoff spot, and they could be doing so on a little extra rest.
Because the Broncos have already played a Thursday night game on the road this year, they had the option of declining this road trip to Los Angeles being flexed on Thursday. But before the Broncos were slated to play on Thursday, it was actually the Bengals and Browns in that slot. The Bengals would have had the chance to get that extra rest before playing against the Broncos previously.
Now, Denver has flipped the script.
And ultimately, that may not end up mattering at all, but it's interesting from a strategic standpoint. Even if you think the Broncos deliberately put themselves at a disadvantage playing the Chargers, it's actually not a terrible idea. The Broncos have already played and scouted the Chargers this year. Even though you have to do additional scouting (because NFL teams change so much week to week), you've already got a base of understanding of the opponent.
The Broncos could be considered one of the most underrated teams in the entire NFL this season. They are the 10th-highest scoring team in the league at 24.0 points per game and they are the 1st-ranked scoring defense at 17.6 points allowed per game. With the way this team has played over the majority of the last decade, it's a welcomed sight and breath of fresh air to be having these types of discussions.