Despite Loss To New England Patriots, AFC Still Runs Through Denver Broncos
By Sean Walsh
@seanwalshsports
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
There is no doubt that the New England Patriots wiped the floor with the Denver Broncos during their 43-21 win in Week 9. However, it is time to cool it with the overreaction the day after. The Broncos are still in better position than the Patriots to earn the No. 1 seed in the AFC.
New England has a bye next week and it is safe to assume that Denver will handle the 0-8 Oakland Raiders, which would put both New England and Denver at 7-2 with the Patriots holding the tiebreaker. Both teams have winning records against teams at .500 or better. The Broncos are 5-2 while the Patriots are 3-2.
So the question is can Denver finish the regular season with one less loss than New England? Out of New England’s last seven games, six are against teams with a record over .500. After Denver blows out Oakland, the Broncos will have five out of their last seven games against teams with a record over .500. It is important to note that both teams will also have just three home games remaining during their last seven games.
New England has serious road tests against the Indianapolis Colts, Green Bay Packers and the San Diego Chargers. The Patriots also have pesky home games against the Detroit Lions, Miami Dolphins and the Buffalo Bills. Giving New England an automatic win at the New York Jets, it is easy to see two to three losses down the stretch for the Patriots.
The Broncos should not lose a home game the rest of season, which gives them four road games to get through, not including Oakland. The St. Louis Rams have been tough as of late, but it is difficult to see the Rams upsetting Denver when Peyton Manning has the luxury of playing in a dome.
This gives Denver three road games left on the schedule, and if the Patriots lose just two games down the stretch, the Broncos would need to win two out of three road games which are at the Kansas City Chiefs, San Diego and the Cincinnati Bengals. It is not impossible to think that Denver could win all three of these games. However, it is much more logical to see Denver splitting against the Chiefs and Chargers and winning at Cincinnati.
If the Broncos take care of business they should finish with a better record than the Patriots. Denver’s schedule seems to be much more manageable down the stretch than that of the Patriots.
Denver cannot beat New England in Foxboro for whatever reason. However, come playoff time the Patriots cannot beat the Broncos in Denver. The Broncos will finish with their standard 13-3 record once again, while New England finishes 11-5. The road through the AFC will once again come through Denver for the third year in a row.
Sean Walsh is a Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @seanwalshsports, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
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