Christmas Day. Broncos face a depleted Chiefs team, aiming to clinch AFC West and secure the AFC's No. 1 playoff seed.
The Denver Broncos enter Week 17 with a 12-3 record and in a tight race for both the AFC West division and the AFC No. 1 seed.
On Christmas Day, the Broncos face the Kansas City Chiefs, who are now done to their third-string quarterback after injuries to both Patrick Mahomes and Gardner Minshew.
With Christmas Day here, these are the scenarios for the Broncos.
This is how the Broncos can clinch the AFC West:
- DEN win + LAC loss or tie OR
- DEN tie + LAC loss
And, this is how the Broncos can secure the AFC West top seed this weekend:
- DEN win + LAC loss or tie + NE loss + BUF loss or tie + JAX loss or tie
The Broncos' Week 16 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars didn't do them any favors, but they still have a chance to get things done.
The Chargers face the Houston Texans on Saturday night, so if the Broncos win, they will be rooting hard for Houston.
At this rate, the Broncos are still viable AFC contenders, even with the loss to the Jaguars.
Christmas Day Storyline
Eric Edholm of NFL.com had storylines for the games, and here is what he wrote for the Broncos as they enter Christmas Day.
"The Broncos are dusting themselves off after their first loss since September, and they have work to do to lock up the AFC West title and the top overall seed in the AFC playoffs. Although the Chiefs are down to their third-string QB, Denver will be without linebacker Dre Greenlaw and wide receiver Pat Bryant, who were injured Sunday, as well as center Luke Wattenberg. Denver's defense will be seeking a more complete performance than Sunday, when the Jaguars started and finished slowly but were red hot offensively in the middle of a 34-20 win. Likewise, Bo Nix and the Broncos' offense also hope for more drive-to-drive consistency on Thursday, knowing that the Chiefs still boast a quality defense that held them to 22 points and 59 yards rushing in the Week 11 meeting between the teams."
Now, the Broncos would like to get this done in Week 17, especially with a showdown in Week 18 against the Chargers, who are one of the teams to beat Denver this year already.
Still, it won't be easy, but at least the Broncos should have the upperhand against a depleted Chiefs team.