The Denver Broncos (6-6) are considered longshots to make the NFL playoffs going into their Week 14 showdown with the Los Angeles Chargers (5-7).
The Broncos have a 12.5% chance to reach the postseason, according to ESPN’s NFL Football Power Index. The projection has Denver finishing with 8 or 9 wins (8.2-8.8), and that presumably would not be enough to get in.
The Chargers, meanwhile, have a 14.6% chance to make the playoffs, according to ESPN. That will obviously change if the Broncos get a win in Los Angeles on Sunday.
There are four teams above Denver in the hunt for a Wild Card spot — the Houston Texans (7-5), Indianapolis Colts (7-5), Cleveland Browns (7-5) and Pittsburgh Steelers (7-5), plus the four division leaders. The four teams immediately above the Broncos have 69.6% (Texans), 66.7% (Browns), 55.6% (Steelers) and 55.5% (Colts) chances to get in.
The New York Times model is more generous to Denver, giving the Broncos a 21% chance to reach the postseason. The NYT gives the Chargers a 7% chance. Denver’s percentage will go up across the board if the Broncos manage to get a win in Week 14.
