Broncos path to the playoffs got a lot harder after Sunday's NFL games

The Denver Broncos were surely watching for certain teams to lose in Week 16 of the 2024 NFL Season, but you can probably guess what actually happened. The Broncos could have actually clinched a spot in the playoffs on Sunday. For that to have happened, they would have needed the Cincinnati Bengals, Miami Dolphins, and Indianapolis Colts to all lose.

And instead of all three losing, or even just one or two losing, all three won and stayed alive in the AFC playoff picture. The teams now improve to 7-8 on the season, which is two games behind the 9-6 Denver Broncos with just two games left to play. The Broncos are in Cincinnati to face the Bengals in Week 17 of the 2024 NFL Season, so that game could make or break their season.

Did the Broncos get any help in Week 16?

For Cincy, Miami, and Indianapolis, one more loss by any of these teams ends their season, as they would have nine losses, and would be unable to catch the nine-win Broncos, Los Angeles Chargers, and the 10-win Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers, who could go back and forth for that AFC North title.

The Broncos are very much still in the driver's seat in the NFL playoffs. NFL Next Gen Stats does give them a 76% chance to make the postseason, but that is down from the 91% figure that it went up to after their victory over the Indianapolis Colts. Their odds are falling, but the Colts, Dolphins, and Bengals have 13%, 8%, and 9% odds respectively, so they are very unlikely to get in.

But I think I do speak for a large part of the fanbase when I say that watching those games on Sunday was frustrating, as nothing seems to come easy for the Denver Broncos. And this stings a bit more considering the Broncos had an 11-point lead in the second half against the Los Angeles Chargers. The Broncos had the playoffs right in front of them in Week 16 and just could not get it done.

The huge benefit here though for Week 17 is that it may give cornerback Riley Moss more time to return, and the Broncos accepting the schedule-flex into Thursday Night Football does now give them two more days of rest before Week 17. Getting Moss back into the lineup does give Denver their starting secondary, and this could help them in a huge way against the Bengals in Week 17.

And if we want to be true here; the Broncos can simply take care of business themselves and beat one of the Bengals or Chiefs in Week 17 or 18. If that happens, it does not matter what any other team does. Denver simply needs one more win to get into the postseason. They should be able to make it happen over the last two games.