Despite a 13-3 record, the Broncos land third among elite teams. Their inconsistent offense faces scrutiny as they chase the No. 1 AFC seed.
The Denver Broncos came out of Arrowhead Stadium on Christmas Day with a 20-13 win against the injury-riddled Kansas City Chiefs, taking their record on the year to 13-3. It comes after a week of scrutiny against Denver following their 34-20 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 16.
Though it wasn’t the prettiest or most convincing win of the season for the Broncos, they did what they needed to do to get back into the win column. Now champions of the AFC West, Denver's sights are on claiming the No. 1 seed in the AFC in the final week of the season.
To get there, they’ll need to make sure to grab a win against the Los Angeles Chargers. Sharing the same league-leading record as the New England Patriots, the only way for Denver to ensure the top seed is by winning on Sunday.
Interestingly, in the latest Bleacher Report power rankings, the Broncos are ranked as the third-best team in the league, the lowest of the three 13-3 teams in the NFL. It’s still an improvement from last week’s rankings, albeit just by one spot.
When looking at the context, it makes sense as to why Denver is ranked the lowest of the league’s top records. New England is coming off a 42-10 blowout against the New York Jets, while the Seattle Seahawks, who are ranked at No. 1, have won six straight. After Denver’s loss to Jacksonville, it needed to prove itself in a bigger way than it did in Week 17 if it wanted to be considered for the No. 1 spot.
“It remains difficult to consider Denver one of this year's top Super Bowl contenders,” Kristopher Knox wrote in the B/R rankings. “Inconsistent offense has been an issue all season, and it made for a surprisingly close Week 17 game against a Chiefs team with nothing to play for. And while Denver's defense has looked championship-caliber at times, it has surrendered 26 or more points three times since its Week 12 bye.”
The final game of the season will speak volumes for the Broncos, with many around the league calling into question their legitimacy as a Super Bowl contender. Their record certainly says they are, but their shaky performances at various times throughout the season have left room for doubt to creep in. There’s no better way to silence that doubt than smashing a divisional opponent in the final week of the season.