The Denver Broncos are in the bye in Week 12 and are surely watching closely with the NFL action this weekend. One of the biggest games on the docket for Denver and the entire AFC was the Colts visiting the Chiefs.
The interesting thing with this game is that every possible scenario was going to help out the Broncos in some way, depending on how you look at it. A Colts' win would have really buried the Chiefs in the playoffs and likely made it so they had to win out and get some help to get in.
A Chiefs' win keeps the Colts from passing the Broncos in the playoff picture, as Indy beat Denver earlier this year. And, in all honesty, a tie would have likely been the best possible scenario, as neither team gets that huge win. Well, with the Chiefs' win, the Broncos obviously get some help.
Chiefs' win over the Colts moves the Broncos in front of Indy
The Denver Broncos were in a position to beat the Indianapolis Colts earlier in the 2025 NFL Season. The Colts had missed a long field goal that would have clinched the victory for the Broncos, but Denver was called for a 'leverage' penalty that gave Indy another shot.
The penalty was, at best, ticky-tack, and it's still talked about today. This win over the Broncos gives the Colts a head-to-head tiebreaker advantage. So, for example, if both Indy and Denver wins their respective divisions this year and finish with the same record, Indy gets the higher seed.
In Week 12, though, the Chiefs needed overtime to beat the Colts, so they drop to 8-3 on the season and are now behind the Denver Broncos in the AFC standings. With the Patriots winning, though, they move to 10-2 and are now the first-place team in the AFC, but the Broncos could get to a 10-2 record in Week 13, and they would move ahead thanks to tiebreakers.
The Broncos are set to face the Washington Commanders in Week 13 on Sunday Night Football, and Denver does control their own destiny. They are also the most complete team in the AFC if you ask me, so that might end up bearing fruit when the regular season ends.
As of now, the Denver Broncos are still in a very good spot to earn one of the top-2 seeds, at least, in the AFC Playoffs and be guaranteed at least one home playoff game.