The Broncos vs AFC West in the Playoffs

[iknowftbll]

If either of the the Chiefs or Chargers win this weekend, the Broncos will face off against an AFC West rival. Surprisingly, this will be just the 4th time such a matchup has occurred in Broncos history.

The Broncos are 1-1 vs the Raiders in the playoffs, winning the AFCCG 20-17 on January 1st, 1978 and losing a Wild Card game 42-24 on January 9th, 1994.

The Broncos are 1-0 vs the Kansas City Chiefs, winning the divisional round in Kansas City 14-10 on January 4th, 1998. This was en route to their first Super Bowl win.

We don't get to pick our playoff opponents, and there would be something unique and special about the Broncos beating the Colts and Patriots in succession to reach the Super Bowl. But there is also something awesome about beating division rivals in the playoffs as well. And of the three possible opponents the Broncos will draw in the divisional round, two of them are AFC West rivals.

So here are two awesome roads to the playoffs, both possible.

Colts and Bengals eliminate the Chiefs and Chargers respectively. The Broncos beat the Colts and the Pats beat the Bengals, setting up a Broncos-Patriots AFCCG in Denver.

OR

Chiefs and Chargers beat the Colts and Bengals respectively. The Broncos beat the Chargers and the Chiefs pull a highly unlikely upset over the Patriots, setting up a Broncos-Chiefs AFCCG and a rare example of a team's route to the Super Bowl being wins over division rivals.

Both of these scenarios are fun to think about, though there are other combinations possible as well. Personally I think the first scenario is probable, but this is all irrelevant if the Broncos don't handle their business the way they failed to do last season.

The bottom line is this, no matter who the Broncos draw for the Divisional Round, it is going to be an intriguing game. Either because it will pit Manning against his old team for the second time and this time in the playoffs, or set up only the 4th division rivalry game in the playoffs for the Broncos.

 

[WalkerBoh]

If either of the the Chiefs or Chargers win this weekend, the Broncos will face off against an AFC West rival. Surprisingly, this will be just the 4th time such a matchup has occurred in Broncos history.

The Broncos are 1-1 vs the Raiders in the playoffs, winning the AFCCG 20-17 on January 1st, 1978 and losing a Wild Card game 42-24 on January 9th, 1994.

The Broncos are 1-0 vs the Kansas City Chiefs, winning the divisional round in Kansas City 14-10 on January 4th, 1998. This was en route to their first Super Bowl win.

.

You forgot one. We lost to the Seahawks 31-7 in 1983, when Seattle was in the AFC West.

 

[iknowftbll]

You forgot one. We lost to the Seahawks 31-7 in 1983, when Seattle was in the AFC West.

I'm only counting current afc west teams. Maybe I should have counted the Seahawks though. How cool would it be to beat the Chargers and Chiefs to reach the Super Bowl, then play the Seahawks in the big game?

 

[WalkerBoh]

Well, I count the Seahawks mainly because there was a decent rivalry when they were in the AFC West. I remember one season where the two games featured almost the exact same opening play. Denver @ Seattle, first play of the game Steve Largent burns the Broncos for an 80 yard TD. Later in the season, Seattle at Denver, and Steve Watson nearly does the exact same thing to the Seahawks on the opening play. Only difference was Watson was slower than Largent, and was run down before reaching the endzone. We still converted the TD on the drive.

Sure it was no Denver-KC or Denver-Oakland rivalry, but it was more heated than Denver-SD ever was.

 

[TDs3nOut]

I'm only counting current afc west teams. Maybe I should have counted the Seahawks though. How cool would it be to beat the Chargers and Chiefs to reach the Super Bowl, then play the Seahawks in the big game?

That would be cool. No cooler in mind, however, than a chance at getting a little revenge on Indy and NE, two teams that beat us not only this year, but also in our last playoff meetings with each. I think this latter scenario is much more likely, though anything is possible, of course.

 

[HOF-ELWAY-7]

How cool would it be to beat the Chargers and Chiefs to reach the Super Bowl, then play the Seahawks in the big game?

That would be cool. That said, I personally would be very nervous going into those games. While I think Denver is better than SD or KC, divisional teams (just like the weather) are the great equalizer.

 

[MrDoc420]

If either of the the Chiefs or Chargers win this weekend, the Broncos will face off against an AFC West rival. Surprisingly, this will be just the 4th time such a matchup has occurred in Broncos history.

The Broncos are 1-1 vs the Raiders in the playoffs, winning the AFCCG 20-17 on January 1st, 1978 and losing a Wild Card game 42-24 on January 9th, 1994.

The Broncos are 1-0 vs the Kansas City Chiefs, winning the divisional round in Kansas City 14-10 on January 4th, 1998. This was en route to their first Super Bowl win.

We don't get to pick our playoff opponents, and there would be something unique and special about the Broncos beating the Colts and Patriots in succession to reach the Super Bowl. But there is also something awesome about beating division rivals in the playoffs as well. And of the three possible opponents the Broncos will draw in the divisional round, two of them are AFC West rivals.

So here are two awesome roads to the playoffs, both possible.

Colts and Bengals eliminate the Chiefs and Chargers respectively. The Broncos beat the Colts and the Pats beat the Bengals, setting up a Broncos-Patriots AFCCG in Denver.

OR

Chiefs and Chargers beat the Colts and Bengals respectively. The Broncos beat the Chargers and the Chiefs pull a highly unlikely upset over the Patriots, setting up a Broncos-Chiefs AFCCG and a rare example of a team's route to the Super Bowl being wins over division rivals.

Both of these scenarios are fun to think about, though there are other combinations possible as well. Personally I think the first scenario is probable, but this is all irrelevant if the Broncos don't handle their business the way they failed to do last season.

The bottom line is this, no matter who the Broncos draw for the Divisional Round, it is going to be an intriguing game. Either because it will pit Manning against his old team for the second time and this time in the playoffs, or set up only the 4th division rivalry game in the playoffs for the Broncos.

Good breakdown my man. I just pray we don't have to play San Diego again. I'm pretty sure we'll have to face NE again at some point to get to the Super Bowl, but the Chargers played us really well in Denver this year, and I can't help thinking that McCoy being their coach had alot to do with it. I think he's got a bright future at HC.

 

[iknowftbll]

Well, I count the Seahawks mainly because there was a decent rivalry when they were in the AFC West. I remember one season where the two games featured almost the exact same opening play. Denver @ Seattle, first play of the game Steve Largent burns the Broncos for an 80 yard TD. Later in the season, Seattle at Denver, and Steve Watson nearly does the exact same thing to the Seahawks on the opening play. Only difference was Watson was slower than Largent, and was run down before reaching the endzone. We still converted the TD on the drive.

Sure it was no Denver-KC or Denver-Oakland rivalry, but it was more heated than Denver-SD ever was.

You are very right about this old rivalry. Even today, few things bring out the worst in Seahawks fans like mentioning you are a Broncos fan. I kid you not, Seahawks fans still seem to have a special place in their hearts for the Broncos. I've had people literally end conversations, flip the finger and tell me "F-You!" when I've mentioned I'm a Broncos fan! I personally think it's awesome to be disliked so intensely by a given fan base.

I also agree with you regarding the Denver-SD rivalry. It is a mild one at best, as the Chargers largely are an afterthought in the AFC West, even with a few recent good seasons.

 

[iknowftbll]

Good breakdown my man. I just pray we don't have to play San Diego again. I'm pretty sure we'll have to face NE again at some point to get to the Super Bowl, but the Chargers played us really well in Denver this year, and I can't help thinking that McCoy being their coach had alot to do with it. I think he's got a bright future at HC.

I think the Broncos came out flat in that one, while the Chargers were playing with their backs to the wall. I am quite confident this Broncos team is not going to lose 2 home games in a row. Even to a Chargers team that played them well in Denver.

 

[LucklessPadresFan]

You know, it's funny. The Chargers have had lots of success against Manning over the years, even during the years we didn't make the playoffs. I'm not too confident about our chances with the Bengals this weekend, but if we do win and face the Broncos, it will be a close game. On paper, the Broncos should absolutely destroy us--especially if Welker is back--but sports is a funny thing and sometimes a team gets into a player's head and strange things happen. By the way, I think one of the reasons we won in Denver is because Welker was out. Without Welker running underneath routes, it gave our LBs more freedom to blitz and harrass Manning.

 

[cdumler7]

You are very right about this old rivalry. Even today, few things bring out the worst in Seahawks fans like mentioning you are a Broncos fan. I kid you not, Seahawks fans still seem to have a special place in their hearts for the Broncos. I've had people literally end conversations, flip the finger and tell me "F-You!" when I've mentioned I'm a Broncos fan! I personally think it's awesome to be disliked so intensely by a given fan base.

I also agree with you regarding the Denver-SD rivalry. It is a mild one at best, as the Chargers largely are an afterthought in the AFC West, even with a few recent good seasons.

I lived in Seattle last year and can attest to this being true. Wearing my Elway jersey was about the most dangerous thing I could do in public. The place I worked at that time I happened to be working during the Bronco game in the playoffs and even though we were busy there were about 20 co-workers up watching the game in the break room and when Baltimore came back to win every single one of them came down to let me know the news. I have never seen such big smiles. Only thing that saved that weekend was seeing the same thing happen to Seattle the next day and watching the whole city go into a deep depression. Might have been the only person in the city smiling the whole day.

 

[cdumler7]

You know, it's funny. The Chargers have had lots of success against Manning over the years, even during the years we didn't make the playoffs. I'm not too confident about our chances with the Bengals this weekend, but if we do win and face the Broncos, it will be a close game. On paper, the Broncos should absolutely destroy us--especially if Welker is back--but sports is a funny thing and sometimes a team gets into a player's head and strange things happen. By the way, I think one of the reasons we won in Denver is because Welker was out. Without Welker running underneath routes, it gave our LBs more freedom to blitz and harrass Manning.

Welker being out definitely did not help. That is Peyton's safety valve when he get's pressured and for some reason our OL decided to not show up. Welker being back will be huge for this offense in the playoffs as our problem was we couldn't get anything going on 3rd down in that Chargers game and Welker seems to make at least 2-3 catches a game that just extend drives that usually wouldn't be.

Definitely wouldn't mind a chance at redemption against the Chargers.

 

[iknowftbll]

You know, it's funny. The Chargers have had lots of success against Manning over the years, even during the years we didn't make the playoffs. I'm not too confident about our chances with the Bengals this weekend, but if we do win and face the Broncos, it will be a close game. On paper, the Broncos should absolutely destroy us--especially if Welker is back--but sports is a funny thing and sometimes a team gets into a player's head and strange things happen. By the way, I think one of the reasons we won in Denver is because Welker was out. Without Welker running underneath routes, it gave our LBs more freedom to blitz and harrass Manning.

The Chargers had success against Manning as a Colt, but Manning vs the Chargers as a Bronco is 3-1. You may be right about the Welker factor in that game, but the bottom line is the Broncos were a flat team and the Chargers a team needing to win out to save their season. One team showed up, the other didn't. I think the late season loss was a good jogging of the team's focus. That will remain to be seen in the Divisional Round, I suppose.

I think the Chargers have a fighting chance against the Bengals. Some see a team that is 8-0 at home and say they are unbeatable. I say they are ripe for an upset, similar to the Broncos in last year's playoffs. I'll definitely watching. If the Chargers win, we have the Broncos next opponent.

 

[cdumler7]

The Chargers had success against Manning as a Colt, but Manning vs the Chargers as a Bronco is 3-1. You may be right about the Welker factor in that game, but the bottom line is the Broncos were a flat team and the Chargers a team needing to win out to save their season. One team showed up, the other didn't. I think the late season loss was a good jogging of the team's focus. That will remain to be seen in the Divisional Round, I suppose.

I think the Chargers have a fighting chance against the Bengals. Some see a team that is 8-0 at home and say they are unbeatable. I say they are ripe for an upset, similar to the Broncos in last year's playoffs. I'll definitely watching. If the Chargers win, we have the Broncos next opponent.

I agree the 8-0 at home might actually be bad for the Bengals. I was thinking the same thing for the Seahawks until they lost to the Cardinals and now actually feel better after they lost at home that they will make it to the Super Bowl. Sometimes teams need that wake up call that they have to show up at home especially in the playoffs. Yes you would rather be playing at home but that doesn't give you the right to underestimate an opponent.

 

[Morpheus]

Well Charger fans better hope that their playoff hopes don't rest on Phillip Rivers having to throw a block.

watch about a minute in-

'Sound FX': Philip Rivers - NFL Videos

 

[KwitYerWhinin]

Well Charger fans better hope that their playoff hopes don't rest on Phillip Rivers having to throw a block.

watch about a minute in-

'Sound FX': Philip Rivers - NFL Videos

That video is enough to make you wanna name your pet hamster...Phillip

 

[MrDoc420]

I think the Broncos came out flat in that one, while the Chargers were playing with their backs to the wall. I am quite confident this Broncos team is not going to lose 2 home games in a row. Even to a Chargers team that played them well in Denver.

I'm with you on the confidence, but fact is Philip Rivers is 6-2 in Denver, and over his career has really tore us apart. He always seems to convert 3rd downs and make plays at opportune times.....it's crazy.

My sister and I just realized the other the day that the only 2 times Phyllis lost in Denver was when we were there at the game. The first was the "Ed Hochuli" game with the frenzy inducing 2 point conversion to Eddie to win, and then the game last year where we had a 28-7 lead, I think, and barely held on to win as Denario Alexander tore our secondary a new asshole.

I don't know why, but outside of NE, I just don't wanna have to see SD again

 

[LucklessPadresFan]

Well Charger fans better hope that their playoff hopes don't rest on Phillip Rivers having to throw a block.

watch about a minute in-

'Sound FX': Philip Rivers - NFL Videos

The only thing funnier than that is watching Rivers trying to scramble...the guy literally looks like he is handicapped.

 

[Broncosr0k]

They did struggle with the chiefs second string so I am not sure what to make of the chargers.

 

[BroncoInCALI]

I still dislike the Seahawks because of their AFC West years. I respected Steve Largent, Zorn, Kreig, Warner and especially Kenny Easley. But I always wanted to stomp them.

I would love to go against them in the Super Bowl, if we are lucky enough to get there.