Denver Broncos Play Higher Seed but Get Better Matchup in Divisional Round

The Denver Broncos sat and watched as the playoff picture unfolded in the AFC during Wild Card Weekend. They earned a much-needed bye as the second seed in the conference, and they had to wait to see who they would play in the next round.

Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas was very thankful the team had a little time off before its championship quest continued.

"It was real big," Thomas said. "A couple guys on the team were banged up. Some guys needed some rest with the injuries they had. Of course, myself with my ankle. It was big to get this week out of the way with some rest and now get back to business.

"Some guys are feeling better. That is the benefit of having a bye week off. It was real big.”

When the Pittsburgh Steelers lost to the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday night, it meant the Broncos had to wait until Sunday for their opponent to be revealed. It also meant the Broncos dodged a Steelers team with the offense to go toe-to-toe with them (provided that Le'Veon Bell was healthy enough to play).

As the lowest seed in the AFC, the Ravens victory booked them a match next week against the New England Patriots. Forget where the Ravens were ranked heading into the playoffs. They are a much tougher draw than any of the other AFC teams playing on Wild Card Weekend.

Playing the Ravens is not an ideal situation for the Patriots.

On Sunday afternoon, the Indianapolis Colts were able to easily beat the Cincinnati Bengals by a final score of 26-10. This means the Colts are headed back to Denver to take on the Broncos on Sunday.

As the second seed, the Broncos play the higher seed, but they have a better matchup in the divisional round. Let's look at why that's the case and what the Broncos have to look forward to this weekend.

Playing the Colts Again

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The Broncos played the Colts earlier this season. In fact, they kicked off the 2014 season with a game at home against the Colts. The Broncos came out victorious by a score of 31-24.

The game featured a late march by quarterback Andrew Luck, but the third-year pro fell short when cornerback Bradley Roby knocked away a fourth-down pass intended for Reggie Wayne.

That was then, and this is now—and both teams look different than they did earlier this year.

The Broncos have become a run-heavy team featuring C.J. Anderson. In Week 1, their starting running back was Montee Ball, and he finished that game with 23 carries for 67 yards and one rushing touchdown. We've learned over this season that the Colts are terrible against the run, and giving Anderson 23 carries is likely to yield a much better result.

In Week 1, tight end Julius Thomas scored three receiving touchdowns. Thomas hasn't scored since Week 10 against the Oakland Raiders, and he's only compiled six catches for 66 yards since that game. He's missed time with an ankle injury, and Thomas clearly hasn't looked like his former self over the last couple of weeks. Perhaps with a bye, Thomas will be able to perform up to expectations.

In the opening contest, the Broncos were without Wes Welker as he served the first of what was a four-game suspension for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing drugs. In Week 1, we saw Demaryius Thomas actually line up in the slot on multiple occasions.

That move didn't work out well for Thomas, and he finished Week 1 with a paltry four catches for 48 yards. Thomas is happy to have Welker back for this game.

"It's great," Thomas said. "I tried to play the slot [in Week 1], and it wasn't for me that early in the season. Having him back is good because he is one of the best that does it and having him, you never know what defense they will play because they will have to watch everybody. Hopefully, we will have [TE] Julius [Thomas] there healthy.

"It's good to have Wes back, and I can be back outside and try to do my best to play my best for the team and have a big impact on the game."

The Colts defense has been exposed multiple times this year. Sure, they were able to hold the Bengals to 265 all-purpose yards on Sunday, but that was without either wide receiver A.J. Green or tight end Jermaine Gresham on offense. That was also against Andy Dalton, a quarterback known for bad postseason play.

The Colts offense no longer is a run-heavy unit that relies on Trent Richardson. He's barely involved in the game plan now, as Dan Herron is starting in his place. Yes, Herron had 141 all-purpose yards against the Bengals (and one rushing touchdown) on Sunday, but against the Broncos' No. 2 rush defense, Herron should have a much tougher time.

We'll see the Colts live and die on the arm of Luck. If he had better weapons around him, the Colts would be much more dangerous than they currently are.

Baltimore a Tough Draw for the Patriots

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There was zero chance the Ravens would play the Broncos in the divisional round. The Patriots now get to take on a team that has their number in the postseason.

"

Patriots at home in the playoffs under Bill Belichick: 1-2 vs the Ravens 11-1 vs everyone else

— Pete Damilatis (@PFF_Pete) January 4, 2015"

At home, Patriots coach Bill Belichick is 11-1 against every coach not named John Harbaugh. Against Harbaugh and the Ravens, Belichick is 1-2. The lone victory the Patriots have in this series in Foxborough is a 23-20 win where Ravens wide receiver Lee Evans dropped a touchdown pass that would have won the game. Ravens kicker Billy Cundiff also missed a 32-yard field goal that would have sent that game into overtime.

The Ravens play with an attitude that few teams can match. They are a tough team with a strong front seven on defense. Baltimore is tough to run on with guys like Brandon Williams and Haloti Ngata clogging up the middle. Veteran inside linebacker Daryl Smith has a nose for the football, and he will help stuff the run as well.

Outside linebacker Terrell Suggs is a future Hall of Fame inductee. His pressure on Ben Roethlisberger was one of the keys to victory for the Ravens on Saturday night. He will be tough to slow down, and Suggs will most certainly put Tom Brady under duress. Former Broncos linebacker Elvis Dumervil will also work diligently to get after the quarterback.

Rookie inside linebacker C.J. Mosley looks like a star in the making. He's tough against the run, but Mosley also has the athleticism to stay with tight ends in coverage. Slowing down Rob Gronkowski will be tough, but Mosley could put up a better fight than some are expecting.

The Ravens secondary is one to exploit after losing multiple players to injury during the season. However, the recent play of cornerback Lardarius Webb and strong safety Will Hill suggest they could be problematic for the Patriots receivers.

Clearly, the Patriots are going to have their hands full with Harbaugh and company.

Summary

Things worked out for the best this weekend.

The Patriots get to face the team that has no problem beating them at home in the playoffs. Even if New England gets the win, the Ravens play a physical brand of football that will take a toll on the Patriots.

The Broncos avoid playing a complete offense like the Steelers. Instead, they face a more one-dimensional unit with the Colts.

Broncos defensive end DeMarcus Ware has a healthy respect for Luck.

"He's one of those guys that you have to play a 60-minute game against," Ware said. "He has really good pocket awareness. He's always one of those guys, just like [QB] Peyton [Manning], where he hits the open guy the majority of the time. He plays a fundamentally sound game.

"He's one of those quarterbacks you don't want to go against, but you have to make sure you get pressure on him and make him one-dimensional."

Nothing is ever easy in the playoffs—and anything can happen. However, Denver had things set up nicely for them during Wild Card Weekend.

Now, it's time for them to beat the Colts and take one more step toward the Super Bowl.

All quotes and injury/practice observations obtained firsthand. Record/statistical information provided via email from the Denver Broncos unless otherwise noted. Contract and salary-cap information provided by Spotrac.com. Transaction history provided by ProSportsTransactions.com.