After a dominating win over the Kansas City Chiefs, the Broncos sit at 9-2 and are one of the premier teams in the NFL. This comes as a surprise to many, except for maybe Sean Payton, but the Broncos are embracing their new reality. At 9-2, the Denver Broncos are entering territory they haven't seen since the days of Peyton Manning.
With this new reality comes a fun fact: the Broncos need to pay attention to how the rest of the AFC is faring, especially teams at the top of the conference. Denver is currently the top seed in the AFC, but is on the bye in Week 12. With that being said, the TV should remain on across Denver this weekend.
Without playing, there will be major implications for the Broncos across the league. Whether it comes within the division or on the other coast of the country, Denver's playoff outlook will be different by the end of the football week, late on Monday night. Three games, however, stand out on the schedule more than any other for Payton and his team.
These three AFC showdowns have major playoff implications on the Broncos
3. Jacksonville at Arizona
While this game might not have a direct impact on Denver, the secondary impact is significant. First, the Jaguars are in the seventh playoff spot in the AFC, meaning a matchup with the second seed, which could end up being Denver. Secondly, they hold a two-game lead over the Chiefs after factoring in the head-to-head tiebreaker. A win for the Jags keeps the Chiefs at one game out of the playoffs entering Thanksgiving week.
2. New England at Cincinnati
The Broncos now have their eyes set on the top seed in the AFC West, and it is a three-team race to that spot. Denver competes with the New England Patriots, and traveling to Cincinnati is somehow one of the more difficult games remaining on their schedule. An upset loss here helps the Broncos' quest for that top seed, but it would also say a lot about the validity of this Patriots team. Broncos fans should be pulling for Tee Higgins and the Bengals, but not having Ja'Marr Chase due to suspension will make that challenge even more difficult.
1. Indianapolis at Kansas City
This game could end up make or break, somehow and someway. The Colts are the third team in the race for the top seed in the AFC, while the Chiefs are fighting for their playoff lives. Starting with Kansas City, not many 5-6 teams coming off multiple conference losses end up making the playoffs. As for the Colts, the Broncos probably would rather see a Colts loss, as it places Denver a full game ahead in the standings and wipes out the head-to-head tiebreaker (at least for now).