The Denver Broncos are so close to the playoffs, they can taste it. All they have to do is win one out of their remaining three games, and they’re playoff-bound.
First up, the Broncos will face the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday Night Football. The Chargers are breathing down the Broncos’ neck in the playoff standings. However, thanks to the whooping the Tampa Bay Buccaneers gave the Chargers last Sunday, the Broncos have a one-game lead over the Chargers, who sit at 8-6.
The Broncos know exactly what is at stake. And it would be even sweeter to lock in a playoff berth by defeating a division rival.
“It’s huge, it’s huge,” Broncos’ safety PJ Locke said about the Broncos being on the cusp of the playoffs. “It hasn’t been done in a while. We’re right there. We’re right there. We’ve been through a lot of things this year, and I think we’ve been prepped for this moment. All training camp, all OTAs, all season. It’s right in front of us. [We’ve] just got to execute.”
A high-stakes divisional matchup in prime time. ✨#TNFonPrime x #DENvsLAC#ProBowlVote + @nikkkkbonitto pic.twitter.com/xXdL5a10Za
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) December 18, 2024
The Broncos are trying to not get ahead of themselves, however, and are trying to take things one game at a time. Right now, their sole focus is on beating the Chargers.
“We’ve talked about it all year, ‘The next game is the most important game,'” quarterback Bo Nix said. “Right now, this is what’s important to us. It’s the most important. I think this next one would put us on track for where we want to go. So, we have a lot of work to do. The job’s not finished, so that’s what we’re going to do.”
Despite the team taking things one game at a time, they still feel a sense of urgency. The Mile High City has been itching for the Broncos to snap the abysmal no-playoff streak that stretches back to 2016.
“This place deserves a championship-level football team,” offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey said. “This city, you can feel it. I don’t know if you guys have felt it on Sundays at Mile High. There’s a different energy these last couple weeks, and the players are really appreciative of that. We’re giving our fan base something to believe in again, and that’s what we want to continue to try to do. And we’ve got to do that week to week by getting wins.”
The Broncos and Chargers bout will kickoff Thursday night at 6:15 pm MT.