Lions Win Boosts Broncos in Hotly-Contested AFC Playoff Race

There was a lot on the line for the Denver Broncos last week against the Detroit Lions. Emotions were high after the death of Demaryius Thomas, and the team honored his memory in multiple ways during the day.

As a team, the Broncos were already making a playoff push, and various players have spoken about making that run to honor Thomas and all he did on and off the field. The first step was beating the Lions, and the players did their part with a 38-10 victory.

This pushed the Broncos up in the AFC playoff race a couple of spots, as they now sit 110th instead of 12th entering Week 14. ] The road to the playoffs is still tricky, but Denver took the first step.

Denver controls its destiny when it comes to making a playoff push. The Broncos have three games against teams ahead of them in the playoff seeding and three divisional opponents. If the Broncos can win at least three of their last four, it would give the team an excellent shot at making the playoffs.

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The Rub

However, with how things are going in the AFC, if the Broncos don't win those three games, they will likely miss the playoffs.

To get there, Denver needs to continue playing strong defense and rely on its running game. If the Broncos are forced to go to their passing game, they have to see improvements from what we've seen the last few weeks.

Riding the run game with an efficient passing game and strong defense was always the team's aspiration entering the season, and that's what is needed for the final stretch to the playoffs.

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