The Denver Broncos can officially punch their ticket to the postseason in Week 15, and the cleanest path is simple: beat the Green Bay Packers on Sunday afternoon. Denver sits at 11-2, riding a 10-game winning streak and battling the New England Patriots for the AFCâs top seed. As Heavy previously reported, thanks to their win over the Raiders, the Broncos also control their destiny for the No. 1 seed â should they win out.Â
Per the leagueâs Week 15 playoff scenarios, the Broncos clinch a playoff berth with any of the following results:
- Broncos beat the Packers at 4:25 p.m. ET on CBS.
- Broncos tie and the Chargers lose.
- Broncos tie and the Jaguars lose.
- Broncos tie and the Texans lose or tie.
- Broncos tie and the Colts lose or tie.
- Or, even if Denver doesnât help itself, a combo where both Houston and Indianapolis lose (and their games donât both end in ties) also sends the Broncos to the playoffs.
In other words, Sean Paytonâs team walks into Sunday with multiple âback-doorâ clinch routes, but the Broncos can avoid all the math by simply taking care of business against a 9-3-1 Packers team thatâs currently fighting for NFC seeding.
Chiefs Could Be Mathematically Eliminated From Playoff Contention
While Denver can secure a spot, the Kansas City Chiefs are staring at the other side of the playoff equation. At 6-7 and already eliminated from AFC West title contention, the Patrick Mahomes era is in rare âon the brinkâ territory.
According to ProFootballTalk, there are dozens of ways the Chiefs could be knocked out of the playoff race in Week 15, but the simplest elimination scenario looks like this:
- Chiefs lose to the Chargers at Arrowhead
- Bills beat the Patriots
- Jaguars beat the Jets
- Texans beat the Cardinals
If that chain hits, Kansas City would drop to 6-8 and lock in behind the Broncos, Patriots, Jaguars, Chargers, Bills and Texans in the AFC pecking order, leaving only one playoff slot for the AFC North winner and no path for the Chiefs.
PFT notes that other combinations of results could also eliminate Kansas City; the common theme is a Chiefs loss plus enough wins from AFC contenders already stacked ahead of them. Even if Kansas City wins all four remaining games, projections from CBS Sports put their playoff odds in long-shot territory, with multiple tiebreakers working against them.
What It Means for the AFC West Race
Taken together, Week 15 sets up as a potential massive swing in the AFC West.
If Denver beats Green Bay, the Broncos clinch a spot and stay neck-and-neck with New England for the conferenceâs No. 1 seed and a first-round bye.
On the other side, a Chiefs loss to the Chargers combined with the right mix of results elsewhere could end Kansas Cityâs playoff streak before Christmas â all while giving the Chargers more breathing room in the wild-card race and further solidifying Denverâs control of the division.
For Broncos fans, the math is friendly: win at home, celebrate a playoff berth and keep the pressure on the Patriots. For Chiefs fans, itâs survival mode: beat the Chargers and then scoreboard-watch all afternoon just to stay alive.
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This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
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