Broncos' Updated Playoff Picture After Brutal Ravens Loss

Here's where things stand relative to the Denver Broncos' playoff aspirations coming out of Week 9.

Nov 3, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) throws during the first quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium. / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

The Denver Broncos hope to make the playoffs as they continue to develop their young roster. Lately, there have been some reports about the Broncos remaining quiet as the trade deadline approaches because they believe in their team.

While the Broncos could use an additional playmaker on offense, especially at the tight end position, it makes sense to remain quiet. The Broncos entered Week 9 as the fifth seed in the AFC playoff picture with nine games left.

It's early to talk about the playoffs, but it's necessary to paint the picture for the Broncos entirely. Denver is entering the most challenging part of its schedule, and how it does over the next few weeks will significantly impact its playoff picture as the team faces some of the NFL's most formidable opponents. 

There was hope they could beat the Baltimore Ravens, but the Lamar Jackson offense proved too much for the Broncos defense as they struggled, allowing one scoring drive after another. The Broncos offense started fine but couldn’t sustain its success as the Ravens adjusted. 

With their 41-10 loss to the Ravens and the rest of the early Sunday games, the 5-4 Broncos dropped from the No. 5 seed to the No. 7 seed in the playoff hunt. However, the Broncos are still squarely in the playoff picture and control their fate. The issue is that the Broncos are only one game into their toughest slate of contests.

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The Broncos will follow up their loss to the Ravens with a road trip to take on the Kansas City Chiefs, the lone undefeated team at this time. Divisional games are always challenging, but the Broncos beat the Chiefs last year in Denver, and while they are undefeated, they aren’t a flawless team. The Broncos have to be prepared for the Chiefs' rushing attack, one of the best this season. 

The Broncos then return home as the Atlanta Falcons come to Denver. The Broncos are currently 3-0 against the NFC South, and finishing 4-0 would be great. Sean Payton has a ton of experience against those NFC South teams, and he is showing the dominance he had for years in that division, which has continued with the Broncos. 

After that, things ease up some with a road trip against the 2-7 Las Vegas Raiders, who the Broncos beat earlier this season, and then the 2-7 Cleveland Browns come to Denver. A road divisional game is always challenging, and the Browns have been one of the most inconsistent teams this season on both sides of the ball. 

Bottom Line

This is the most challenging part of the Broncos' schedule, and they're already 0-1 in this slate, but they need to win at least one of their next two games to keep themselves in a prime position for a playoff spot. Over the next four games, the Broncos can’t afford to lose more than one more game with the loss to the Ravens.

In this slate of five games, from the Ravens to the Browns before the bye week, the Broncos can't afford to go 2-3, and even going 3-2 could make things tricky regarding the playoff picture. 

There are not many 'gimme' games for the Broncos this season, so going 4-1 would be ideal. It would mean maintaining control of their fate. Anything worse than that could put the Broncos in a position where they need help to get to the playoffs.

The Broncos have a shot at the playoffs, but they have to take care of business, and it starts with beating the currently undefeated Chiefs. Of course, the Chiefs' undefeated streak could end on Monday night when they play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Any and every Chiefs loss helps the Broncos.

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