The last time the Denver Broncos earned the top seed in the AFC, the NFL was still in the six-team playoff format, and a few years ago, the league moved to a seven-team format, which does impact the no. 2 seed the most.
The second playoff seed also used to get a bye in the first round. Now that Week 17 is about in the books for the AFC playoff picture, the Broncos know for a fact that they are AFC West champs. The other known fact is that as long as they beat the LA Chargers in Week 18, they will be the top seed for the playoffs, no matter what else happens.
Denver going on that 11-game winning streak put the ball in their court in a good way and gave them a scenario where they have controlled their own destiny up to this point. Well, if Denver does clinch the top seed, what does that mean specifically when the postseason rolls around?
Here's what will happen if the Denver Broncos earn the top seed in the AFC...
In the seven-team playoff format, the no. 1 overall seed is gifted the first-round bye into the Divisional Round. If Denver earned the top seed, they'd host someone in the second round of the NFL playoffs and would get to rest through the Wild Card Round.
The other huge benefit, obviously, is that the team gets home field advantage throughout the playoffs, so for the Divisional Round and AFC Championship, if Denver made it that far, the game would be at home.
The last huge benefit, potentially, is that for the Divisional Round, the Broncos would play the lowest remaining playoff seed, so in theory, that's a good thing, but the likely three Wild Card AFC teams all have something threatening about them.
The Buffalo Bills, Houston Texans, and Los Angeles Chargers are very likely going to be the three Wild Card seeds. Denver has not played Buffalo this year but did lose to the LA Chargers earlier in the season and barely got past the Houston Texans earlier this year.
All in all, the top AFC seed is a very good place for Denver to be, as it comes with a ton of key advantages and honestly gets them a very 'easy' path (I say that carefully) for the Super Bowl at the beginning of February.
Denver can earn the top seed with a win over the Chargers in Week 18.