Denver Broncos Playoff Scenarios: How Can Tim Tebow Lead Denver to Postseason?

The Denver Broncos have the lead in the AFC West, but with two games remaining on the schedule, they're not guaranteed to hang on to it.

They're just one game ahead of the Oakland Raiders and San Diego Chargers, and it's clear neither of those teams are going to lie down in pursuit of the ever-elusive playoff berth.

While Denver has more control over their own destiny than do the Raiders or the Chargers, these final two weeks of the season are still incredibly important for the Broncos and their postseason hopes.

Denver clinches the AFC West this week should they defeat the Buffalo Bills and the Raiders lose to the Kansas City Chiefs. If this does not happen—should either Oakland win or the Broncos lose—then the division won't be decided until Week 17, and thus the regular season, comes to a close.

For the Broncos to clinch a Wild Card spot this week is a bit more complicated. Denver would have to beat Buffalo, while the New York Jets would have to lose to the New York Giants, the Cincinnati Bengals would have to lose to the Arizona Cardinals and the Tennessee Titans would have to drop to Jacksonville Jaguars. 

That would knock three Wild Card contenders so far back that they'd not be able to turn things around in Week 17. Considering that slate of games, however, it's hard to imagine all three of those squads losing in a week where they are also trying to earn a playoff spot.

What the Broncos must do is ignore all of these scenarios that don't involve them and instead focus on defeating the Bills this week and the Chiefs the next.

Ultimately, it's only they who stand between themselves and the postseason, so it's better they preoccupy themselves with their own playoff hunt and not get distracted about what the Chargers and Raiders need to do.

In Week 15, it was clear that there are serious flaws on both offense and defense that could stymie the Broncos' chances to reach the postseason. While their defense is strong, it's not tough enough to handle the onslaught of a high-powered offense, as evidenced by the 41 points the New England Patriots were able to score on them.

While neither the Bills nor the Chiefs are known of late as high-scoring squads, the Bills once were in the first half of the season.

It does seem far-fetched to say that they will return to this form for a single week and play the role of spoiler, but there are a lot of receiving weapons on the Bills' offense and if quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick can collect himself for one game, they could prove a serious threat.

The Chiefs, however, have a tough defense that has gotten only tougher now that former head coach Todd Haley has been replaced by defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel.

The team, on the strength of that defense (and some well-timed passing plays orchestrated by former Broncos starting quarterback Kyle Orton), defeated the then-unbeaten Green Bay Packers in Week 15, and they're going to be looking to continue that momentum in their two remaining games.

That could prove dangerous to the Broncos just when they might need to win most. If the Chiefs (or even the Bills) defense does a good enough job shutting down Denver's league-leading running game and can capitalize on offense as well, that puts Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow in a high-risk position—needing to pass the ball to win.

Tebow's strength in the passing game is simply that he refuses to throw picks. He will throw the ball out of bounds, play after play, if he thinks he's in danger of being intercepted, and that's what's ultimately the most responsible factor for him completing under 50 percent of his passes this season.

But, with the running game neutralized, Tebow is going to be forced to take those risks, especially if the team finds themselves more than a score behind. That could be trouble for Denver, and if it costs them even a single game, could dash their playoff hopes just as they began really heating up.