The Denver Broncos are a win away from their first playoff berth since winning Super Bowl 50 in 2016. For context, that was Peyton Manning’s final career NFL game. The Broncos must defeat the Kansas City Chiefs at home on Sunday afternoon to punch their ticket to the NFL Playoffs. Denver’s eight-year playoff drought is the second-longest in the National Football League. Only the New York Jets, 14 straight seasons, have a lengthier playoff drought.
Denver looked at 2024 as a year to rebuild and get their salary cap in order. They cut Quarterback Russell Wilson during the offseason and took a tremendous cap hit because of it. He counted $53 million against Denver’s salary cap this season and will count $32 million against their cap next season. Will the Denver Broncos be able to break their playoff drought on Sunday?
Denver Broncos Season Summary
The Broncos haven't been back to the playoffs since they won Super Bowl 50.
Denver can change that on Sunday.
A win and they're in.
📺: CBS & Paramount+ pic.twitter.com/dfDzwypZGz
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) January 3, 2025
The Denver Broncos(9-7) have sputtered down the homestretch of the regular season. They have lost two consecutive games which has their NFL Playoff chances hanging in the balance during Week 18. Denver looked like a virtual lock to make the postseason, but consecutive losses to the Los Angeles Chargers and Cincinnati Bengals have altered the math.
Rookie Quarterback Bo Nix has been a revelation this season for the team. He is 17th in passing yards and tied for eighth in touchdown passes. Denver’s offense has been middling this season. They are 22nd in yards per game and 10th in points per game. The Denver Broncos have been led by their defense this year. They are 15th in yards allowed and fifth in points allowed. Denver’s defense, like the rest of the team, has not played its best over the last month. They have surrendered over 27 points per game during their last four contests.
Final Thoughts
The Denver Broncos have no excuse to not defeat the Kansas City Chiefs tomorrow. Denver is a 10.5-point favorite and Kansas City is resting many key players including Quarterback Patrick Mahomes, Tight End Travis Kelce, and Running Back Isiah Pacheco with the No. 1 seed in the AFC locked up.
Denver nearly beat the Chiefs in Week 10, but a blocked field goal as time expired preserved Kansas City’s 16-14 victory. The Denver Broncos will look to accomplish two things with a win in Week 18. Avenge their loss from earlier in the season, and qualify for the NFL Playoffs.
