Thanks to a win in Week 17 over the Kansas City Chiefs, and a Los Angeles Chargers' loss against the Houston Texans, Denver won the AFC West on Saturday night, sitting on their couches. It was an ideal scenario, as Denver is in the middle of a mini-bye, having played on Thursday.
The Broncos are getting a few extra days to rest and recover before a huge Week 18 game against the Chargers for the top seed in the AFC. The Chargers are likely considering resting some of their starters since the division is now not winnable this year. If the Broncos beat LA in Week 18, Denver also captures the first overall playoff seed and the first-round bye.
The first goal, and it's something that Sean Payton harped on for multiple years, was to win the division. With that goal accomplished, Denver can move on to winning that no. 1 seed, and it's clear that Payton himself has moved on from the AFC West.
Sean Payton apparently skipped over the AFC West title with the Broncos on Monday
Sean Payton definitely likes to fluff things up when he speaks to the media, but here is what he told them on Monday:
Sean Payton didn't even talk about the team winning the AFC West with the team today.
— Zac Stevens (@ZacStevensDNVR) December 29, 2025
Focus is all on this week's game and the seeding.
Sean Payton might be onto something here. Sure, winning the AFC West is great, but that's such a microscopely small accomplishment in the grand scheme of things. It also goes to show you just how laser-focused this coaching staff is.
Goals generally start small and get bigger, and if you focus too much on the small goals, you might lose sight of the bigger ones. Denver is now in a position to host the entire AFC playoffs and have a relatively easy chance at making the Super Bowl this year.
Denver earning the first-round bye also advances them into the Divisional Round, so they'd only have to win two home games to represent the conference in Super Bowl LX. The Week 18 slate is going to finalize the AFC playoff seeding, but Denver can finish no worse than the no. 3 seed, which would mean they host the no. 6 seed.
If they finished with the second seed, they'd host the seventh seed.