The Denver Broncos just beat the Kansas City Chiefs to improve to 9-2 on the season, winning their eighth-straight game. As you would imagine, after winning eight straight games and heading into the bye week at 9-2, the Broncos are in an extremely favorable position as it relates to the NFL playoff picture.
The latest playoff odds, updated daily on NFL.com, have the Broncos atop the AFC in the #1 overall seed, and with a 96 percent chance of reaching the postseason. In addition to controlling their own destiny up to this point, the Broncos did their part to try and put an end to the Kansas City Chiefs' dynasty.
Not only do the Broncos have a real shot at the #1 overall seed in the AFC, but they have buried the Chiefs down to the 9th spot in the conference, and just a 51 percent chance of making the postseason at all.
Broncos enter bye week with #1 seed in AFC Playoff Picture; Chiefs at a coin flip chance of making it
Going into the game against the Chiefs, this was exactly the opportunity the Broncos had before them. We saw last year the way they sort of squandered a chance to control their own destiny with late losses against the Chargers and Bengals, and then they were able to get their 10th win in a home game against the Chiefs' backups.
Obviously, you can't diminish what the Broncos did last year, but they backed into the playoffs more than taking the bull by the horns. After a 10-year drought, nobody was complaining about it, but the 2025 team is taking advantage of opportunities that previous Broncos teams have missed.
The fact that the Chiefs, the reigning AFC champions, have just a 51 percent chance of making the postseason after 11 weeks is staggering. They have a home game this week against the Colts, and even a loss this weekend wouldn't mathematically eliminate them, but Denver's win against Kansas City has put them right where they want to be.
The Broncos still have 6 regular season games remaining in 2025. They come out of the bye with road games against the Commanders and Raiders, and it's possible that they could still be at 11 wins before the month of December even starts.
That puts so much pressure on the Chiefs and Chargers, and virtually eliminates any margin for error for those teams going forward.
The Broncos have plenty of business to continue taking care of, but here in mid-November, they have the Chiefs right where they want them.