After back-to-back losses to the Los Angeles Chargers and the Cincinnati Bengals, the Broncos now find themselves in a must-win situation entering Week 18 if they wish to make the playoffs. And while the Kansas City Chiefs are expected to rest many of their starters, that doesn't mean the Broncos should take anything for granted.

The Denver Broncos have a bonafide playmaker and the onus is on Sean Payton to scheme Marvin Mims Jr. touches.

NFL tripleheader did not disappointment in Week 17, thanks to the thrilling overtime victory the Cincinnati Bengals had over the Denver Broncos. In what essentially was a playoff game, the Bengals needed to win to keep their playoff hopes alive while the Broncos needed a win to clinch a playoff berth.

The Broncos enter their Week 18 matchup with a clear goal in mind. A win would guarantee Denver's spot in the postseason.

I don’t like the fact that the network TV cameras feel like they can zoom in to our call sheets, but it is what it is,” Sean Payton said.

The Bengals did play the overtime period without starting running back Chase Brown, who suffered an ankle sprain during the fourth quarter. Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow broke his own franchise single-season record for passing yardage with his 31-yard toss to Tee Higgins to set up a game-winning touchdown pass to Higgins.

For years, the Broncos continuously held below-500 seasons. They've only had one winning year post-Peyton Manning era, and from 2017-2023, the team's overall record was 43-72. While Sean Payton was already the head coach in 2023, one could argue that it makes the current resurgence even sweeter for him.

Sean Payton opted against going for the two-point conversion attempt and the win — thus risking the loss — in regulation Saturday night in Cincinnati.

Payton was an assistant coach at the college level at San Diego State, Indiana State, Miami (Ohio) and Illinois before landing a job in the NFL in 1997. It sounds like the coach has no interest in returning to the college level.

Manning believes that Nix is in an ideal situation with head coach Sean Payton at the helm of his offense. As for Richardson, Manning believes Richardson will benefit from game reps and praised head coach Shane Steichen for benching him so Richardson can refocus.

The Denver Broncos have now dropped two games in a row in their quest to make the postseason, falling to the Cincinnati Bengals in overtime 30-24. The Broncos defense didn’t force a punt in regulation,