The Denver Broncos defeated the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 14 to extend their winning streak to 10. That said, the Kansas City Chiefs lost to the Houston Texans last week. The result had a major impact on the Broncos for the rest of the regular season. Let’s see what the Chiefs’ Week 14 loss means for the Broncos.
Chiefs Eliminated From AFC West Title Contention
The Chiefs’ loss in Week 14 means Kansas City can’t win the AFC West title this season. Heading into Week 15; if the Chiefs win out, they would be 10-7. And if the Broncos lost out, they would be 11-6. The Chiefs, however, can still obtain a playoff slot (seeds 5-7). Heading into Week 15, the Chiefs are two games behind the Houston Texans for the No. 7 seed.
Houston, we have a problem. The Chiefs lost to the Texans in Week 14. So, the latter holds a head-to-head tiebreaker over the former. In other words, the Texans are essentially three games behind the No. 7 seed with four games to go. That is why Kansas City’s Week 14 matchup was a de facto playoff game
Switching gears, because the Las Vegas Raiders have already been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, the AFC West is now a two-team race — with four games to go. The Broncos are 11-2, while the Los Angeles Chargers are 9-4 and the No. 5 seed. The former and the latter meet up again in Week 18. For the game to have significance, the Broncos must lose one of their next three games, while the Chargers must win their next three games.
That said, the Broncos have 88.1% odds to win the AFC West, while the Chargers have a fighting chance with 11.9% odds. The Broncos’ offense is No. 13 in PFSN’s Offense Impact Score, while the Chargers’ offense is No. 23. And on the other side of the ball, the Broncos’ defense are No. 2 in PFSN’s Defense Impact Score, while the Chargers’ defense is No. 7. Because the latter didn’t lose in Week 14, the AFC West race should be a photo finish.
Elsewhere for the Broncos, head coach Sean Payton explained why quarterback Bo Nix had such an odd day passing in Week 14.
