With two weeks left in the season, seven teams are in the playoffs. 15 other teams are alive for the other five spots.
Yes, almost 70% of the league remains in the Super Bowl hunt heading into Christmas.
The NFL will release their official playoff scenarios later. With so many teams alive, there are a ton of permutations of what can happen.
This is especially true in the AFC West, where all four teams remain alive. Let’s break it down to essentials:
The Broncos win the division if they beat Kyle Orton and the Chiefs in Week 17. This is true regardless of what Denver does in Buffalo this week.
Denver could possibly win the division this week, but that would require help from the Raiders losing in Kansas City. The Chiefs can still win the division if there is a four-way tie at 8-8. The Chargers have a better chance at getting a Wild Card spot at 9-7 than winning the division.
Got all that?
All we know is that America deserves Kyle Orton heading into Denver in Week 17 with a chance to knock the Broncos out of the playoffs. It would be even more delicious if Orton had a chance to play the Chiefs into the postseason.