Coaches and players like to say every season is different. This NFL season is especially different for two primary reasons, and the Broncos and Chargers are playing lead roles.
First, Denver (9-5) and Los Angeles (8-6) — which kick off Week 16 on Thursday Night Football (8:15 p.m. ET, Prime Video) — could wake up Monday morning having clinched playoff spots. In fact, according to former NFL executive Joe Ferreira, the AFC could become the first conference since the 1970 league merger to know all of its playoff teams with two weeks remaining in a regular season. That would happen should the Chargers, Titans, 49ers and Browns win this week.
Second, and this is what makes the NFL’s brand one of the world’s most popular spectator sports, both the Broncos and Chargers missed the playoffs last season. They join the Vikings and Commanders entering Week 16 as the four teams currently in line to make the postseason after missing it a year ago. For 34 consecutive seasons from 1990-2023, at least four teams every season have qualified for the playoffs after failing to make the postseason the previous year.
Plus, three teams are tied atop the league in scoring defense, each allowing just 17.6 points per game: The Chargers, Broncos and Eagles. What makes Denver’s defense unique, however, isn’t its NFL-leading 49 sacks. It’s how well that defense has complemented the Broncos’ offense, led by Sean Payton and rookie Bo Nix.
No NFL team this season has more wins by double-digit margins than Denver. Seven of the team’s nine victories have come by 10-or-more points. That’s incredible considering the Broncos, on the verge of their first playoff berth since winning the Super Bowl nine years ago, reportedly are carrying $85 million in dead money on their salary cap.
Thursday’s game also carries major playoff implications for three other teams on life support, all of whom will be rooting for the Chargers. That’s because if Denver beats Los Angeles, then Cincinnati (6-8), Indianapolis (6-8) and Miami (6-8) would be eliminated should any of them also lose this week.
For more information on the Broncos and Chargers, visit the Denver and L.A. Chargers team pages at ProFootballPost.com.
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