The Denver Broncos can all but secure a playoff spot with a win over the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday Night Football, and the outcome is of personal interest to Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow.
Burrow’s Bengals’ playoff hopes are on life support amid a 6-8 record and need a little help from the Broncos despite an MVP-caliber season from the QB.
Burrow spoke openly about what was at stake.
“Big game tomorrow,” Burrow told reporters on December 18. “You pay attention. Usually, just after your game, you go and check [to see if] things happen that you needed to happen. This is the time of year that you’re always paying attention to that, whether you’re in our spot or whether it’s seeding and you’re already in the playoffs.”
Burrow – who guided the Bengals to the Super Bowl in his second season – leads the NFL in completions, passing yards, and passing touchdowns entering Week 16.
He did not shy away from the reason behind the team’s current plight.
“We haven’t been good enough at the beginning of the year, that’s no secret,” Burrow said. “We started pretty similarly every single year, and that’s disappointing. There’s always been a large emphasis put on that at the beginning of the year. And you get behind the eight-ball, and then you have some injuries, and you get in a bad spot. So we got to be better in those spots at the beginning, for sure.”
Broncos Did What Joe Burrow, Bengals Could Not
GettyJoe Burrow #9 of the Cincinnati Bengals warms up before a game against the Tennessee Titans.
Like the Bengals, the Broncos began the season 0-2, losing each of their first two matchups by 1 touchdown or less.
What happened after that has been the difference between one team being 6-8 and on the verge of being eliminated from postseason elimination and the other being 9-5 with full control of their playoff chances.
The Broncos’ defense helped them navigate the early rookie woes of quarterback Bo Nix.
Cincy’s defense, which ranks 29th in yards allowed and 31st in scoring, has not been able to support what Burrow and the offense have done.
Just as the Bengals need help to get into the playoffs, the Broncos would need aid in missing out. Not only would the Broncos have to lose out the rest of the way, but one of the Bengals, Indianapolis Colts, or Miami Dolphins would need to win out.
Indy and Miami have the first and fourth-easiest remaining schedules, respectively, per Tankathon. The Bengals have the 15th-toughest slate while the Broncos’ slate ranks seventh.
The stakes could be high when the two teams meet in Week 17.
Broncos On Track for Playoff Showdown With Russell Wilson
GettyRussell Wilson #3 of the Pittsburgh Steelers stands in the tunnel before a game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Broncos are the No. 7 seed entering Week 16. If everything remains the same the rest of the way, they will face former starting QB Russell Wilson on Super Wild Card weekend.
The Broncos made the financially costly decision to cut Wilson this past offseason.
They incurred the largest single dead cap charge in NFL history at $85 million (over two years). Wilson has led the Pittsburgh Steelers to a 6-2 record since resuming his role as a starter in Week 7.
A win in Week 16, when the Steelers visit the Baltimore Ravens, will match his best mark of seven wins, which he set in 2023.
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