The Denver Broncos will be hosting the Buffalo Bills in the Divisional round of the playoffs on Saturday. And there's absolutely no looking past that game whatsoever.
However, if the Broncos can beat the Bills, the NFL has almost built in a little bit of a competitive advantage for them in the AFC Championship Game. It might seem small, but it could end up being significant. The Broncos are slated to play the Bills on Saturday in Denver, while the other AFC Divisional round matchup will be played in New England on Sunday.
If the Broncos can beat Buffalo, they're not only going to have an extra day of rest having played on Saturday, but there's also potential that they would be hosting a team (Steelers or Texans) that had even shorter rest than the Patriots.
NFL Playoff scheduling might give Broncos yet another significant (albeit small) advantage
Every second counts, right?
The Broncos are already going to get a substantial advantage due to the fact that they've had 13 days of rest entering the Divisional round, while the Bills will only have six days of rest after a physical battle against the Jaguars.
Let's quickly dive into the hypothetical realm for a moment, too. If the Broncos can beat the Bills on Saturday, they will be able to kick back and watch the other two remaining AFC teams on Sunday while already starting the recovery and preparation process.
If the Steelers or Texans can find a way to beat the Patriots, then those teams will be on 6 days of rest this week while the Broncos will have the advantage of 8 days rest for the AFC Championship Game compared to 7 for whoever wins that game.
Again, it might seem like a small thing, but every single day and every opportunity for players to get healthy and recover matters. It's one less day for the other team to recover, one more day for the Broncos on the back end of the Divisional round. And when you factor in the fact that the Broncos don't have to travel? It's even better.
These are the benefits of playing at home as the #1 seed in the postseason. Everything is on your terms. You're the host. The Broncos don't have to rush through any preparation, nor do they have to worry about going on the road and playing in a hostile environment.
It's just another reminder that everything is being laid before the Broncos this postseason. They have a very difficult task ahead of them, of course, but we're seeing plenty of benefits to having that #1 seed already.