The playoff picture is becoming clearer down the season's final stretch, and in Week 14 we may be able to start penciling teams into the bracket. With wins (and help elsewhere) the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos can become the first teams in the NFL to secure playoff spots.
NFL playoff picture 2014: Broncos, Colts can clinch a spot in Week 14
The Broncos and Colts can become the first teams to secure a ticket to the NFL postseason this Sunday ... but they’ll need some help.
The Colts will be playing the Cleveland Browns on the road this Sunday. Their path to the playoffs is rather simple. If they win and the Houston Texans lose to the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Colts will have locked up the AFC South title. The Colts, at 8-4, are two games ahead of the 6-6 Texans. If the Colts win and the Texans lose this week, and then both teams somehow finish with identical 9-7 records, the Colts would hold the division tiebreaker due to a better record in common games.
The Broncos’ clinching scenario is much more complicated. They can’t sew up the AFC West just yet with San Diego one game behind, but they can ensure that they will earn a wild card bid at the very least. The Broncos are in the playoffs if they win AND:
- The Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns and Kansas City Chiefs all lose, and the Texans lose or tie. OR:
- The Ravens, Steelers, Browns and Chargers lose, the Texans lose or tie, and the Chiefs tie with the Arizona Cardinals.
In the first scenario, the Broncos would hold tiebreakers over all five teams if they somehow all had 10 wins to end the regular season. The second scenario, which stipulates a Chiefs tie this weekend, suggests a situation in which the Broncos’ playoff bid comes down to strength of victory or schedule.
No worries if your head is spinning. Just be prepared to do a lot of mental gymnastics over the coming weeks. Click here for more on the current NFL playoff picture, and check out SB Nation’s latest power rankings.
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