It's as unlikely scenario as anyone could have made up. The Denver Broncos at 3-5 are a team on the rise in the mixed-up AFC West.
With Tim Tebow under center, Denver has taken two-of-three while the Chargers, Chiefs and Raiders have failed to pull away from the division pack. No team has established dominance. The Raiders hold a narrow lead in the division after thumping the Chargers last night, only four days after losing at home to a Broncos team than ran for over 300 yards on them. The Raiders stand at 5-4, one game over .500. The Chargers slipped to 4-5, the same record the Chiefs and Broncos will hold assuming Denver can take care of business on Sunday.
The Arrowhead game is a mid-season must-win for the Broncos. If they win they will remain right in the thick of things, locked in a three-way tie for second place. If they lose, they will see both Oakland and Kansas City pull away to a two game lead over them in the division and there's little chance the Broncos will pull themselves back into the picture from 3-6.
The Arrowhead game is past the half-way point in the Broncos season. After that they have seven games remaining, beginning with a toughie at home against the Jets who are struggling for their playoff lives inside the very tough AFC East. Then they head to San Diego, where they never win, and to Minneapolis where they have a solid chance of whipping the Vikings. They need to go 2-1 in these next three to keep pace. That starts with a win over the Chiefs.
It's almost unfathomable that, amidst all of the issues the Broncos have dealt with, replacing Josh McDaniels, breaking in a new front office, the "Tebow thing", trading Brandon Lloyd ,that they could be in a position to make the playoffs, but they are. All they have to do is win. Imagine that.
