The Denver Broncos can just take care of business with a win in Week 18, but they may also have to root for their former controversial quarterback. With two losses in a row, the Broncos' playoff hopes have decreased all the way down from 91% to about 55%, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. Right now, it's roughly a 50/50 shot that the Broncos get in.
Denver can still lose in Week 18 and clinch a playoff spot, and that's because both the Cincinnati Bengals and Miami Dolphins each have just eight wins, and the Broncos have nine. However, the most direct way for Denver to get into the postseason is with a win over the Chiefs' backups in Week 18 in Denver.
Russell Wilson could do the Broncos a huge favor in Week 18
Since the Cincinnati Bengals beat the Denver Broncos in Week 17, the Broncos may have to pay attention to what the Bengals do. The Bengals are in Pittsburgh to play the Steelers, a team that has lost three games in a row. It's been a tough stretch for Russell Wilson and Pittsburgh, as they have gotten exposed over the last few weeks.
However, Pittsburgh does still have a good bit to play for, so it's not like they are going to laydown and let the Bengals walk all over them. In fact, the Denver Broncos may have to root for their former QB, Russell Wilson. The Broncos trade for Wilson before the 2022 NFL Season, and the team went 11-19 in his 30 starts.
Wilson was just not a good QB for them, and in the right move last offseason, Denver cut ties before the bulk of his contract kicked in. After the 2025 NFL Season, Wilson's contract is totally off the books for the Broncos, which is great. They have been in the process of eating over $80 million in dead cap from the contract release.
Russell Wilson has since played reasonably well with the Steelers in 2024, and the Steelers may have no choice but to extend him. Who else are they going to turn to? Pittsburgh could be making the same Russell Wilson mistake that the Denver Broncos made, but in Week 18, Denver may have to root hard for the QB they thought was going to dig the franchise out of its misery.
Since then, the Broncos have totally changed the course of their franchise for the better with Bo Nix.