Broncos' Rooting Guide for NFL Playoff Implications of Week 14

If the Denver Broncos want to continue to be a part of the AFC playoff picture, they have to bounce back from a loss to the Houston Texans and beat the Los Angeles Chargers.

The 22-17 loss on the road last week snapped a five-game win streak. They now sit at 6-6 and are ranked ninth in the playoff picture. There's still time to close that gap, but it certainly wouldn't hurt to get some help.

They already got some on Thursday. The Steelers' loss to the New England Patriots was a big blow to their playoff chances and dropped their record to 7-6. With a win against the Chargers, they will draw even with the Steelers.

There are other games on the slate that the Broncos should have some rooting interest in too. Here's a look at three of them and who the Broncos should be pulling for.

Bengals over Colts

Courtney Culbreath/Getty Images

Jake Browning

The Indianapolis Colts have been a surprise playoff contender this season. With Anthony Richardson set to start the season they weren't really expected to be part of the picture. When he went down for the season with a shoulder injury.

Yet, here we are. The Colts are 7-5 and sitting on the No. 6 seed. Head coach Shane Steichen is off to a strong start as a head coach and has the Colts punching above their weight.

The Broncos should be rooting for that trend to end, though. A Bengals win would make both teams in the game 7-6 and the Broncos would have an opportunity to tie them up with a win over the Chargers.

The good news here is that the Bengals have proven that they can win without Joe Burrow. Jake Browning was sensational last week in a 34-31 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Browning was 32-of-37 for 354 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions.

That's an encouraging sign as the Bengals continue to fight for their playoff spot.

It's also encouraging for the Broncos who will be rooting for the Bengals to create a logjam of 7-6 teams. The Colts are on a four-game winning streak, but three of those have been one-score wins against an unimpressive group of teams that include the Patriots, Buccaneers and Titans.

The Bengals need to snap that streak.

Jets over Texans

AP Photo/Matt Patterson

Quinnen Williams

This one will be a little more tricky.

While the Bengals are rejuvenated after a monster performance from a 27-year-old quarterback who had zero NFL snaps before this season, the Jets are just hoping their former No. 2 overall pick can handle being named the starter again.

Wilson has been at the center of a debate this week. Early in the week, multiple sources told The Athletic that Wilson was "reluctant" take back over the starting job.

Just a few days later, Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic reported that Wilson was once again going to start for the rest of the season. Rosenblatt noted that Aaron Rodgers helped talk the young quarterback into embracing the opportunity.

The Broncos need to root that Wilson is ready for the task.

The Texans have become one of the most dangerous teams in the wildcard race. C.J. Stroud is playing really well and the Broncos saw what he can do first hand last week.

The Jets have struggled all season, but still have a lot of talent on defense. If they can slow down Stroud, create a few turnovers and the Jets get just decent quarterback play from Wilson then they could pull off the upset.

That would help the Broncos as it would pull the Texans down to the large group of 7-6 teams.

Jaguars over Browns

Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Travis Etienne

A few weeks ago, the Cleveland Browns looked like a lock to make the playoffs. Back-to-back double-digit losses have changed their outlook dramatically.

The Browns have now lost two of their last three since Deshaun Watson went down for the season. A move to Joe Flacco last week was not enough to overcome the Rams last week. Flacco threw for 254 yards, which is actually the second-highest output for a Browns quarterback this season.

But the defense that has been one of the best in the league looked average for the second week in a row. After the Broncos put up 29 against them in Week 12, the Rams turned around and put up 36.

Some of that has to do with Denzel Ward being out of the lineup. He's the team's best corner and changes the whole secondary when he's on the field. He's supposed to come back this week. Meanwhile, Trevor Lawrence is recovering from an ankle injury he suffered last week so the Browns could get C.J. Beathard in this one.

Another poor performance from the defense and a loss to a Jaguars team would extend the losing streak and be a major blow to morale.

That would be a big for the Broncos chances. If all three teams mentioned here lose and the Broncos win, then everyone will be 7-6 going into Week 15.

It would set up a thrilling ride to the final week when the playoff field is set.