The Broncos absolutely need to win to get into the NFL playoffs

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Through every wobble and stumble this season, the Denver Broncos have often leaned on the calendar for support.

Cornerback Pat Surtain II said last month that there was “a lot of ball left,” and wide receiver Courtland Sutton added that “we have time.” But not anymore.

Week 18 has arrived for the Broncos, who face a simple task. Win or draw Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs at Empower Field at Mile High (4:25 p.m. ET, CBS) and Denver would clinch the AFC’s final playoff spot as a No. 7 seed, ending an eight-year playoff drought.

But lose, and the Broncos have missed a third straight win-and-in game to make the playoffs. They would be 9-8 and would need losses from the Dolphins and Bengals to get into the postseason. Denver would lose tiebreakers to Miami (based on AFC record) and Cincinnati (based on last Saturday’s loss) if either of those teams won in Week 18 and also finished 9-8. But the Broncos feel like they can finish the job.

“100 percent,” defensive end Zach Allen said when asked about his confidence for the Broncos to make the playoffs. “We know who we are. It’s just the NFL. You play against good teams every week. We’ve proven this year that we can bounce back.”

The Broncos will face a slightly different version of the Chiefs (15-1), who have already secured the AFC’s No. 1 seed and earned a first-round bye and home-field advantage in the AFC playoffs. Chiefs coach Andy Reid announced Wednesday that the Chiefs will use star quarterback Patrick Mahomes among other starters, while backup Carson Wentz gets the call on Sunday.

“We have to win the game, I don’t care about the other things,” said Sutton. “Whoever wears shoulder pads, whoever wears red, white and yellow, we have to beat them, boys. We don’t care who shows up and plays, who sits, who doesn’t sit. … The Broncos have to come out on Sunday and win the game.

The Broncos didn’t look like they would need to win the upcoming game after Week 15. They had beaten the Indianapolis Colts 31-13 and were now 9-5, building a three-game cushion with three games remaining. Since then, the Broncos lost 34-27 to the Chargers in Week 16 and 30-24 in overtime to the Bengals in Week 17. Combined with back-to-back wins by the Dolphins and Bengals, the losses have given Denver one last chance to avoid another late-season fade. Last season, the Broncos lost four of their last six games after returning to the playoffs on a five-game winning streak.

This time, Broncos coach Sean Payton said the Broncos should handle the pressure of such a meaningful game in the final week of the regular season. His players agree.

“There’s no pressure, we should act like we have nothing to lose and play freely like we did when we started our little winning streak,” Broncos cornerback Riley Moss said. “I think we have a great group of guys that can handle adversity…When the glass looks half full, we have a whole different opportunity.”

Payton has consistently preached to the Broncos over the last two seasons that they should aim high and that he always wanted their ambitions to be anchored in the work it would take to get to the postseason. But since the Broncos haven’t played in a playoff game since winning Super Bowl 50 to end the 2015 season, many of his players are looking to explore new avenues.

None of the Broncos’ homegrown players have played in the playoffs, including left tackle Garett Bolles, the team’s first-round pick in 2017 and the longest-tenured player. The Broncos have 11 players on the current roster who have played in at least one playoff game, with three – fullback Michael Burton, tackle Mike McGlinchey and defensive end John Franklin-Myers – having played in a Super Bowl. Burton is the only Broncos player with a Super Bowl ring, which he earned with the Chiefs after the 2022 season.

“I don’t think you ever want to sit there and learn from all of these things, but we have to develop into winners,” said McGlinchey, who played six playoff games for the San Francisco 49ers and started in Super Bowl LIV. Lost to the Chiefs to end the 2019 season. “We have to make sure we control the outcome of certain things. We have to make sure we finish. … We need to make sure that the next time we find ourselves in situations like this, we don’t leave any room for error.”

Payton added this week that despite the frustrations of the last two weeks, he continues to count on “the courage” he believes his young team has.

“I told them after the game, ‘That’s part of it. We can’t decide,’” Payton said. “You have to keep fighting. I like the courage in this team and I like the leadership in this team. I think these guys will respond appropriately.”

“It’s been like this for two weeks,” quarterback Bo Nix added. “So you just have to give everything to win the game.”