The Denver Broncos control their own destiny in the AFC West. Through a combination of quality wins over division opponents and a tough schedule for their closest competitors, they have built a near-insurmountable lead and it would take a historic collapse for them to not win their fourth straight AFC West title.

The Broncos have a one-game lead over the San Diego Chargers, but the lead is essentially two games given the Broncos’ victory over San Diego in Week 8. The teams play again next weekend in San Diego, but the landscape could be very different by then. The Broncos play at home this weekend against the Buffalo Bills, and while the Bills’ defense has looked impressive as of late, they haven’t come up against a quarterback with the pedigree of Peyton Manning. The Broncos are also 6-0 at home and have home victories over teams such as the Indianapolis Colts and the Arizona Cardinals.

The Chargers rallied late to defeat the Baltimore Ravens last week and have won three games in a row, but now they must travel home to face the New England Patriots, a team that was on a seven-game winning streak before losing to the Green Bay Packers last weekend. Their home matchup is considerably harder than that of the Broncos and despite playing at home, it would likely be deemed an upset if they were able to get past the Patriots.

This means the Broncos are very likely to hold a two-game lead over the Chargers when the teams meet in Week 15 and would mean a Broncos victory over the Chargers would seal the division, giving the Broncos a three-game lead with two games remaining.

Even if the Chargers were to defeat the Broncos, they still have a much tougher final two games to close out the season on the road against the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs. The Broncos have a tough game against the Cincinnati Bengals, but they close their season at home against the one-win Oakland Raiders, meaning that even if the division race was close heading into the final weekend, the Broncos would hold a major advantage.

The Broncos are all but a lock to win the AFC West barring major injuries or a dramatic run of bad luck and are one of the prohibitive favorites to win their first championship since 1998.

Phillip Jacques is a Pac-12 Football writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google