The Denver Broncos are again within the playoffs for the second consecutive 12 months, however this season expectations have grown significantly. A 12 months faraway from a 10-7 file and Wild Card Spherical exit towards the Buffalo Payments, the Broncos are again with a 14-3 file and the No. 1 seed within the AFC bracket.
The No. 1 seed brings a primary spherical bye, which suggests they’ve an additional week to get wholesome for his or her first playoff recreation. This shall be of explicit assist to their protection, which was with out linebacker Dre Greenlaw and defensive finish John Franklin-Myers on the shut of the common season. Franklin-Myers appeared nearer to a return, however even Greenlaw has a shot at returning.
Denver Broncos’ subsequent playoff opponent
The NFL re-seeds the bracket after the primary spherical of video games. That implies that we gained’t instantly know the precise workforce the Broncos will face within the Divisional Spherical. As a substitute, Denver will face the worst remaining seed when the Wild Card Spherical concludes on Monday. If all the upper seeds win this primary weekend, the Broncos would play the No. 4 seeded Pittsburgh Steelers. If all of the decrease seeds gained upsets, Denver would play the No. 7 seeded Los Angeles Chargers. The No. 5 Houston and No. 6 Buffalo Payments are additionally within the combine as Divisional Spherical opponents relying on how the upper seeds carry out.
The earliest the Broncos will know their opponent is the top of Sunday after the Patriots-Chargers 2/7 matchup. If LA wins, they might journey to Denver within the Divisional Spherical. In any other case it relies on the outcomes of Payments-Jaguars and Texans-Steelers.
Historical past vs. potential opponents
vs. Pittsburgh Steelers: 15-11-1 common season, 5-3 postseason all-time — They final performed in 2024, with the Steelers profitable 13-3 in Denver. Pittsburgh has gained three straight on this common season collection. They final performed a playoff recreation in 2016, with the Broncos beating the Steelers 23-16 within the Divisional Spherical.
vs. Houston Texans:7-4 common season all-time — Denver beat Houston 18-15 in Week 9 this season. The Broncos got here again from an eight level deficit, profitable the sport on a Wil Lutz area objective as time expired. They’ve by no means confronted one another within the playoffs.
vs. Buffalo Payments: 17-22-1 common season, 0-2 postseason all-time — The final time these two groups met was in final 12 months’s Wild Card Spherical. The Payments thumped the Broncos 31-7. it was their first assembly because the Broncos gained a 2023 Monday Night time Soccer recreation, and their first playoff assembly because the Payments gained the 1992 AFC Championship.
vs. Jacksonville Jaguars: 7-7 common season, 1-1 postseason all-time — The Jaguars gained the final assembly between these two in spectacular style. They gained 34-20 in Denver in Week 16. They final met within the playoffs in 1997 when the Broncos thumped them 42-17 within the Wild Card spherical. They’d met the earlier 12 months within the Divisional Spherical when the Jaguars shocked them in Denver in solely their second season in existence.
Early Divisional Spherical odds
FanDuel has posted hypothetical odds for the varied potential Divisional Spherical matchups.
Chargers @ Broncos
Unfold: Broncos -3
Whole: 41.5
Moneyline: Broncos -178, Chargers +150
Payments @ Broncos
Unfold: Payments -1.5
Whole: 47.5
Moneyline: Payments -130, Broncos +110
Texans @ Broncos
Unfold: Broncos -1.5
Whole: 38.5
Moneyline: Broncos -120, Texans +102
Steekers @ Broncos
Unfold: Broncos -4.5
Whole: 41.5
Moneyline: Broncos -240, Steelers +198
Denver Broncos playoff historical past
The Broncos reached the playoffs as a wild card workforce final season and misplaced to the Payments within the first spherical. The final time they reached the playoffs previous to that was in 2015, when Peyton Manning led them to a Tremendous Bowl victory. Coincidentally, that Tremendous Bowl was in Levi’s Stadium, which is the location of this 12 months’s Tremendous Bowl. That was the shut of a five-year run of playoff appearances.
That Tremendous Bowl 12 months was additionally the final time the Broncos have been a No. 1 seed within the AFC playoff bracket. This 12 months marks their AFC file ninth time as the highest seed within the convention. Two of their three Tremendous Bowl victories have come because the No. 1 seed, and so they’ve superior to the Tremendous Bowl in six of the eight earlier seasons during which they have been the No. 1 seed.
