The Denver Broncos are the No. 1 seed in the AFC, but the team will go only as far as their defense will take it
The Denver Broncos capped off a spectacular regular by defeating the Los Angeles Chargers by a score of 19-3 in Week 18 on Sunday.
With the victory, the Broncos clinched the No. 1 seed in the AFC, meaning the road to the Super Bowl goes through Denver.
The Broncos have one of the better homefield advantages in the entire NFL. Combine that with one of the elite defenses in the league, and it is going to take a big time effort by any other team in the AFC to go knock the Broncos off.
Denver finished the season wih 68 sacks, which was 11 more than the Detroit Lions in second place. Having that type of defense is huge for the Broncos, and that unit will have more pressure on it because of an offensive attack led by Bo Nix that has really struggled as of late.
In the Week 18 win against the Chargers, the Broncos offense was able to muster up barely anything. After taking the first drive 82 yards to take an early 3-0 lead, the Broncos were able to 158 yards the rest of the way. The lone touchdown in the game for Denver was an interception return by cornerback Ja'Quan McMillan.
Nix was only 14-of-23 for 141 yards, while also adding another 49 on the ground. The rushing attack of the Broncos hasn't been the same since JK Dobbins was lost for the season due to an injury.
Nix thrown 3,931 yards, 25 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, but he has struggled to attack opposing teams deep down the field. He is at his best in the play-action game, but the Broncos haven't been able to rush it well enough to make defenses respect their ground game.
No team lived on the edge more than the Broncos this season, as 11 of their 14 victories this season were by a possession or less.
That experience in close games is something should help the Broncos but the fact they have had that many games come down to the wire against their schedule is a worrisome sign.
For the Broncos, expectations are extremely high and rightfully so. The AFC is wide open this year, as quarterbacks like Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes will not be in the playoffs this season.
Many quarterbacks, like Nix are still very early in their career. Patriots quarterback Drake Maye could be the MVP this year, but he still hasn't started a playoff game. C.J. Stroud, Justin Herbert and Trevor Lawrence haven't sustained much success in the AFC, and Aaron Rodgers is 42 yeards old.
Josh Allen is the only quarterback in the AFC that has proven he can take his game to another level in the playoffs at this point in his career.
The opportunity for the Broncos is right there for the taking, but it is going to need the defense to take its game to another level, as the offense hasn't looked like a championship caliber group for much of this year.