The Denver Broncos finished the regular season with the top seed in the AFC for the first time since their 2015 Super Bowl run, and have a hard-earned week off this upcoming week. Denver will sit on the bye week and rest up while also trying to regain health, especially for the multiple starters who got banged up during Week 18. Denver will sit down and be able to watch what seems to be an incredibly entertaining Wild Card Weekend.
For Denver, the door is open for them to play basically anyone in the AFC aside from the Patriots and the Jaguars. Given that they are the top seed in the conference, the Broncos are set to play the lowest remaining seed in the playoffs. This would mean that the Broncos wouldn't play the Jaguars or Patriots since a win by both would set up a matchup of the two in New England.
This would mean that the Broncos would be in line to host either the fourth-seeded Steelers or any of the wild-card teams. Unfortunately for the Broncos, this means they'll likely face one of the three wild-card teams, which appears to be the strongest trio of wild-card teams the league has had since the expansion to seven total teams.
These are the teams the Broncos could face at home in the Divisional Round
Fourth seed - Steelers
The Steelers made the playoffs after a missed kick by the Ravens, saving their playoff lives for at least one more week. In a twisted way, this might make them the most dangerous team the Broncos could face. Aaron Rodgers is the only quarterback in the AFC who has won a conference title, let alone a Super Bowl, and will get DK Metcalf back against the Texans.
Fifth seed - Texans
The Texans get what, on paper, is the easiest draw for the Wild Card teams with the Steelers, but they play a team that has been living on the edge for weeks. If there is any quarterback in the playoffs who has shown they can come back from the brink multiple times, its Rodgers. The Texans are the hottest team in football, but the concern of peaking too early can always creep back in during the playoffs.
Sixth seed - Bills
Josh Allen is by far the best player in the playoffs, and James Cook just wrapped up a rushing title in what was an incredibly impressive season. For the rest of the Bills, the season was a bit of a whirlwind. They lost the AFC East to a Patriots team that went 4-13 last year, lost to that exact team at home, and then overcame a 21-point deficit to beat them on the road. They could win it all, or Sean McDermott could be let go by this time next week. This is a franchise-altering week for them.
Seventh seed - Chargers
The Broncos split the season series with the Chargers, and a win for them next weekend sends them right back to Denver. Los Angeles has had something of an up-and-down season and has been riddled by injury. The Patriots are a tough draw for the Chargers, but one could also argue that the Chargers are the more talented team. This could be the best game of the weekend.