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The Denver Broncos have had quite the turnaround.
After winning Super Bowl 50 with Peyton Manning, the Broncos didn’t make the playoffs for eight straight years — a rookie named Bo Nix ended that streak last year.
In year two of the Nix and Sean Payton era, the AFC playoff picture runs through the Mile High.
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Bo Nix of the Denver Broncos warms up before the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at Empower Field At Mile High on January 4, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (C. Morgan Engel/Getty Images)
The Broncos clinched the top seed in the AFC on Sunday with a 19-3 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers, finishing the regular season with a 14-3 record.
The Broncos were certainly helped by Trey Lance getting the Week 18 start when the Chargers could only have been No. 6 or 7. So they opted to rest Justin Herbert and give the nod to Lance, the third pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, who has never found his footing.
Denver Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II reacts to his tackle in the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Chargers at Empower Field at Mile High. (Ron Chenoy/Imagn Images)
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The Broncos kicked a field goal on their first drive and immediately followed it up with a pick-6 to go up 10-0 early, and they never looked back. Both teams had trouble moving the football as there were 13 points in total. But the Broncos’ stout defense did exactly what it has done all season: stop everything in its path.
The New England Patriots and Jacksonville Jaguars also entered the day mathematically tied for the AFC’s top seed, but Denver was the only team in control of its own destiny. The Patriots needed a win and a Broncos loss, while the Jaguars needed both New England and Denver to lose.
Denver Broncos defensive end Eyioma Uwazurike (96), defensive end Sai’vion Jones (95) and defensive tackle Malcolm Roach (97) react after a fumble recovery in the second half at Empower Field at Mile High. (Isaiah J. Downing/Imagn Images)
This is the first time the Broncos have earned the top seed since 2015, the same season they won the Super Bowl. Last year they lost in the wild card round to the Buffalo Bills, who they could very well host in the divisional round in two weeks.
