As the Broncos sit at 12-2, the dream season has lived on for Bo Nix and Sean Payton. The Broncos are in firm control of the AFC West and are leading the pack for the top seed in the conference. As we enter the final three games of the season, the Broncos control their own destiny in multiple ways and can begin to wrap up various playoff distinctions as soon as this week.
For starters, Denver has a clear path to clinching the division this week. The Broncos already know that the Chiefs' reign over the division has come to an end after their loss to the Chargers last week, and Denver is currently in the driver's seat to bring home that crown this week. They'd like to have that wrapped up before they play LA in Week 18.
As for the top of the conference, the Broncos now hold what is effectively a two-game lead over the Patriots for home-field advantage and the first-round bye within the conference. Denver clinched the common opponent tiebreaker over New England, meaning that New England needs to have an outright better record than Denver to claim the top seed.
The Jaguars and Bills are also in play for the top seed, with Jacksonville being the most likely if they can beat the Broncos this weekend.
Here are the clinching scenarios for the Broncos this weekend against the Jaguars
How the Broncos can clinch the AFC West
The Broncos can clinch the AFC West with two very simple outcomes: The Broncos knock off Jacksonville and the Chargers lose in Dallas against the Cowboys. The Broncos are slight home favorites against a suddenly red-hot Jaguars team, and the Jaguars pose arguably the most realistic threat to Denver's spot atop the AFC. With a win, however, the Broncos move their clinching number over the AFC West to just one. Given the times of kickoff for both teams, they could know heading into their game at 4 PM Eastern time.
How the Broncos can cinch the top seed in the AFC
The Broncos path to clinching the top seed in the AFC is a little more complicated, but the math is technically there for Denver. If the Broncos are to win, they need help from two other places across the league: Baltimore and Cleveland. The Broncos can clinch the top seed in the AFC with a win, which also eliminates Jacksonville from contention, a Bills loss to the Browns, and a Patriots loss to the Ravens.