Broncos' 2018 Schedule Gives Denver Better Playoff Chance Than Most AFC Wild-Card Contenders

The Denver Broncos will enter Week 14 of the 2018 NFL season as the No.9 seed in the AFC. Three teams are ahead of them in the standings for the No.6 seed, but Denver could be considered the favorite to land the conference’s final playoff berth because of their remaining schedule.

The Baltimore Ravens are the No.6 seed with a 7-5 record. They are a game ahead of the No.7 Miami Dolphins, No.8 Indianapolis Colts, No.9 Broncos and No.10 Tennessee Titans.

Since losing a heartbreaker to the Houston Texans before their bye week, the Broncos have won three games in a row. Two of those victories came against the Los Angeles Chargers and Pittsburgh Steelers, both of whom are playoff teams. Denver faces three straight teams that are out of the playoff race before hosting L.A. in the season finale.

Denver’s two road games will come against the San Francisco 49ers and Oakland Raiders, who are tied for the NFL’s worst record. Sandwiched in between those contests is a game at home against the 4-7-1 Cleveland Browns.

It’s very possible that when the Broncos host the Chargers in Week 17, Los Angeles will have nothing on the line. L.A has a two-game lead as the No.5 seed, and they will be hard-pressed to catch the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC West. If the Chargers are locked into the first wild-card berth when they visit Denver, they could rest a bunch of starters.

The way the Chargers finish the season could have a major effect on the Broncos’ playoff hopes. A loss for Los Angeles at Arrowhead Stadium in Week 15 would likely clinch the division title for the Chiefs. A win for the Chargers against the Ravens in Week 16 could not only guarantee that L.A. will be the No.5 seed, but it could put Denver ahead of Baltimore in the standings. That, of course, depends on how the next few weeks play out.

Baltimore is expected to lose in Week 14. They are seven-point underdogs in Kansas City Sunday, according to OddsShark. Aside from trips to Kansas City and Los Angeles, the Ravens will play at home against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Browns.

The Ravens own the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Broncos because of a 27-14 win over Denver at M&T Bank Stadium in Week 3. Baltimore has also beaten Tennessee head-to-head.

No one has played a more difficult schedule than the Broncos, thus far. The Broncos have played six games against the AFC’s six current playoff teams. They also hosted the Los Angeles Rams, who have the NFL’s best record.

The Titans have an easy schedule the rest of the way, facing no one with more than six victories. The Colts are scheduled to face only one team that’s below .500. The Dolphins could be headed for a losing streak with consecutive games against the New England Patriots and Minnesota Vikings.