The Denver Broncos have already gotten some much-needed help in their quest to make the 2024-25 NFL Playoffs after a drought that extends all the way back to the 2015-16 season when the team won Super Bowl 50.
The hangover for the Denver Broncos has lasted nearly a decade but head coach Sean Payton and rookie quarterback Bo Nix have this team back in playoff contention here in 2024, and as is always the case, the Broncos need some help from the teams around them to ensure an invite to the "dance".
And as I mentioned, the Broncos have already gotten some help this week thanks to the Green Bay Packers beating the Miami Dolphins on Thanksgiving, but who should Broncos fans be rooting for on Sunday in Week 13 of the 2024 season?
Broncos fans need to root for Falcons, Eagles in Week 13
Current AFC Playoff Standings Entering Week 13 Action
1. Kansas City Chiefs (11-1)
2. Buffalo Bills (9-2)
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (8-3)
4. Houston Texans (7-5)
5. Baltimore Ravens (8-4)
6. Los Angeles Chargers (7-4)
7. Denver Broncos (7-5)
In the hunt:
8. Indianapolis Colts (5-7)
9. Miami Dolphins (5-7)
10. Cincinnati Bengals (4-7)
The Broncos have the "luxury" of watching everything unfold on Sunday, which could actually end up raising the stakes of their Monday night matchup against the Cleveland Browns. We already saw the Packers beat the Dolphins, which helps the Broncos, but what about some of these other teams?
Ravens hosting Eagles in Baltimore
This is going to be a brutally tough game for the Philadelphia Eagles, as playing in Baltimore is historically one of the toughest places to play in the NFL. The Ravens have been beatable this season but even though the Eagles are one of the hottest teams in the league, this is going to be a hard matchup for them to win.
If the Ravens lose to the Eagles, they would drop to 8-5 and the Broncos could potentially match their record with a win against Cleveland. With that said, the Ravens own the tie-breaker against the Broncos thanks to their head-to-head win.
Falcons hosting Chargers in Atlanta
This is one of the biggest key matchups of the week for Broncos fans to be keeping their eyes on. The Los Angeles Chargers were just beaten up by the Baltimore Ravens this past week and now they've got to go to Atlanta to play in the 1:00 PM ET window against the Falcons.
The Falcons are coming off of their bye week, so they've had extra prep time and they've had time to recover and get healthy. If the Chargers lose this game, they drop to 7-5 and the Broncos can jump them for the 6th seed on Monday night.
Bengals hosting Steelers in Cincinnati
Broncos Country will be keeping tabs on what happens between the Bengals and Steelers on Sunday as well. With a loss, the Steelers drop to 8-4 and they all of a sudden become a potential Wild Card team instead of division leader. It's not impossible to think the Ravens could jump the Steelers and the Broncos could also jump them in the final two months of the season.
The Bengals are 4-7 and their playoff hopes are hanging by a thread. Even a win in Week 13 only puts them up to 5-7 on the season but a loss would sink their ship.
Ultimately, the Denver Broncos just need to take care of business and control their own narrative. It's possible that they could potentially win on Monday night and come back to play the Indianapolis Colts as the 6th seed in the AFC.