NFL Playoffs if season ended today: Broncos still playing familiar foe
Through 12 weeks of the 2024 NFL Season, the Denver Broncos are still maintaining a strong playoff standing. Who would they play if the season ended today? Denver getting a win in Week 12 was huge, as the Miami Dolphins also won, so that gives them a 5-6 record. They're still lurking in the playoff picture, and had Denver lost, they'd be clinging to a 6-6 record.
Now at 7-5, the Broncos are up by two games in the win column over the Dolphins and the 5-7 Indianapolis Colts. NFL Next Gen Stats gives them a solid 73% chance to make the postseason, and no other team below them in the AFC has playoff odds larger than 21%. It would honestly take a major collapse for Denver to not make it, and they may only need nine wins on the season.
In my opinion, a 9-8 record with a head-to-head victory over the Indianapolis Colts is probably enough, but the Broncos do have a few winnable games left on their schedule, so getting to 10-7 is not out of the question. If the regular season ended today, who would the Denver Broncos play, and what would the rest of the NFL playoff picture look like?
Playoffs if season ended today: A tough road for the Denver Broncos
1. Kansas City Chiefs, (bye)
7. Denver Broncos @ 2. Buffalo Bills
6. Los Angeles Chargers @ 3. Pittsburgh Steelers
5. Baltimore Ravens @ 4. Houston Texans
The Broncos are still in the seventh seed, and the Buffalo Bills are still in the second seed, so this is what the Wild Card matchup would be for the Broncos. And to be fair to Denver, they did go into Buffalo in 2023 and win, and I would give a clear coaching advantage to the Broncos, so while the Bills would be huge favorites in this game, it's just not smart to count the Broncos out.
The other Wild Card matchups at this point would see the LA Chargers facing the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens facing the Houston Texans. All three WC games could end up being quite close if you ask me.
If we're being honest, though, the Broncos making the playoffs with a rookie QB does put them about a year ahead of schedule, so them even getting into the dance is a huge accomplishment. Denver also holds the second-longest playoff-drought streak in the NFL, so while we are all hoping for a playoff run, the Broncos simply need to get a taste of playoff football, as the franchise as been starving for almost 10 years.