If the NFL Playoffs began next week, the Denver Broncos would be the AFC West winner and the No. 4 seed in the AFC. All of the other division leaders (the New England Patriots, the Baltimore Ravens and the Houston Texans) are 9-3. None has battled back as much as the Broncos have had to do this season.
The Broncos moved to 7-5 and the Oakland Raiders fell to 7-5 after a 34-14 loss to the Miami Dolphins. The Broncos hold the AFC West's playoff spot because they have a better division win percentage than the Raiders do. That is the tiebreaker since the Broncos and Raiders split the season series. The Broncos are currently 3-2 against the division while the Raiders are 2-2.
The Raiders are now fighting for a playoff spot, but the Pittsburgh Steelers are 9-3 and the Cincinnati Bengals are 7-5, like Oakland. The Bengals hold that spot because they have a better conference record.
In the NFC, the Green Bay Packers and the San Francisco 49ers have already clinched their divisions. The Packers are 12-0 after a late victory over the New York Giants and are look to continue perfection all the way to another Super Bowl victory.
The playoff standings after Week 13 (Monday's game has little bearing on this):
| AFC | NFC | |
| 1 | New England | Green Bay |
| 2 | Baltimore | San Francisco |
| 3 | Houston | New Orleans |
| 4 | Denver | Dallas |
| 5 | Pittsburgh | Chicago |
| 6 | Cincinnati | Atlanta |
For more on this game, visit Broncos blog Mile High Report. For news from around the NFL, visit SB Nation's NFL news hub.