Broncos AFC playoff berth: Breaking out of the pack in a muddled conference

Broncos running back Javonte Williams has been silenced a bit on talking playoffs after the team's recent success.

Javonte Williams, once the Broncos' most outspoken player when discussing playoff prospects, has been a bit more reserved lately. After the Broncos won their second-straight game with a 24-9 victory over Kansas City, climbing to 3-5, Williams was talking about making a Super Bowl run. Now, with six wins in the last seven games to reach 7-6, Williams has toned down his talk about the playoffs. He mentioned that Coach Sean Payton told him to chill out about the playoffs. However, Williams did talk about the postseason after the Broncos defeated the Los Angeles Chargers 24-7. With a win against Detroit and three games left against teams with losing records, Williams said the ball is in their court. According to ESPN Analytics, the Broncos have a 38% chance to make the playoffs for the first time since the 2015 season. They are currently trying to work out of a logjam in the AFC. Seven teams will make the postseason, and after the current top five records, there are six teams tied at 7-6. The Broncos are in the No. 9 spot, trailing Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, and Houston, and ahead of Cincinnati and Buffalo. Payton is thinking bigger than a wild-card berth, with the Chiefs having lost four of their last six games. The Broncos are just one game back in the AFC West. The Broncos have some work to catch the Chiefs, but their schedule eases up after a tough game at Detroit. When it comes to division tiebreakers, the first one is head-to-head record. Denver and the Chiefs split their two showdowns. After that, the Chiefs have an edge. The second tiebreaker is division record. Kansas City is 3-1 and Denver is 2-2, so the Chiefs might have to lose to either the Raiders or the Chargers for the Broncos to have a shot at the division. If the Broncos don't win the AFC West, tiebreakers could come into play for a wild-card berth. Denver has a win over the Bills, which helps, and a loss to the Texans, which hurts them. The Broncos conference record is 4-5. Linebacker Alex Singleton said that they are aware of the various playoff scenarios but are focused on taking it one week at a time and controlling what they can control.

Share With Others