Following their week 13 loss in Houston, the Broncos enter week 14 with a 30 percent chance to make the NFL playoffs, according to the New York Times. A head-to-head loss to a fellow wild card contender hurt the Broncos, but their seeding did not change, and now two straight losses from the Steelers, and another from the Browns, kept the Broncos in a strong position. With a win over the Chargers, the Broncos would see their chances rise to a much stronger 47 percent. However, as is the case with any team on the outside looking in, they'll need some help. Here are some games to keep an eye on this week, and who the Broncos should be rooting for.
Games to watch: Houston @ New York (AFC), Jacksonville @ Cleveland, Buffalo @ Kansas City, Indianapolis @ Cincinnati
Houston at New York (AFC), Sunday 1 PM ET
A good deal of the bad from the Broncos' loss in Houston can be undone with a Jets win this week. With a Jets win and a Broncos win, the New York Times pushes the Broncos' playoff chances up to 53 percent, a 6 percent climb. The Jets had another... interesting week this past week. The Jets cut starting quarterback Tim Boyle after last week, who was benched for Trevor Siemian, and both of whom are now pushed away for Zach Wilson, who is reportedly reluctant to begin starting for the Jets again. In other news, this is just another week for Nathaniel Hackett. The Jets, still, are a hot mess.
The Texans did not play their best last week, but neither did the visiting Broncos, and the Texans did enough to stop the Broncos' 5-game winning streak and beat Denver 22-17, and stopping the Broncos where they have excelled of late: fourth quarter, potentially game winning drives. The Texans now sit at 7-5, and are primed for a playoff spot. However, things have the potential to get a little dicey now with the expected absence of Tank Dell, rookie phenom, for the remainder of the season. The Jets' defense has been strong this year, but this game will come down to what version of Zach Wilson will the Jets get: the one that almost beat Patrick Mahomes and beat the Eagles? Or the one that was benched for Tim Boyle?
Verdict: Nathaniel Hackett, Lets Ride