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Nobody this time of year gets tired of talking NFL playoff scenarios, even if they do make you a little dizzy. But as the convolutions and possibilities pile up on each other, people invariably start looking for questions that make it all simpler. Questions like, "Well, what if everybody loses?"In the case of the remaining seven contenders for the two AFC wild card spots, such a scenario (while not, technically, possible since the Dolphins and Steelers are playing each other) would favor the Denver Broncos -- the lone team among those seven remaining contenders that can lose its game Sunday and still make the playoffs. Here's how it works:
If the Broncos lose their game to the Chiefs, they'll be 8-8 (and, most likely, ashamed of themselves for losing to the Chiefs). So they'll need no more than one other team from the Jets/Ravens/Steelers/Texans group to be 9-7. If the Broncos lose and any two of those four teams win, Denver is out.
But if only one of those four teams wins, then the Broncos' situation improves dramatically. The Broncos can lose their game and still make the playoffs if any one of the following five situations plays out:
1. Jets, Ravens, Texans and Jaguars all lose. (Denver and the Miami-Pittsburgh winner get in)
2. Jets, Ravens, Steelers and Jaguars all lose. (Denver and either Houston or Miami get in)
3. Jets, Ravens, Steelers and Texans all lose. (Denver and either Miami or Jacksonville get in)
4. Jets, Jaguars, Steelers and Texans all lose. (Denver and either Baltimore or Miami get in)
5. Texans, Ravens, Steelers and Jaguars all lose. (Denver and either Jets or Miami get in)
Oddly, while most of those scenarios would force the Broncos to root for a Texans loss, a Broncos win would find them rooting for the Texans to win also. That's because there are just as many scenarios that get the Broncos in if they win their game against Kansas City:1. Jets lose and Texans WIN.
2. Ravens lose and Texans WIN.
3. Jets lose and Steelers lose.
4. Ravens lose and Steelrs lose.
5. Jets lose and Ravens lose.
It all keeps coming down to the Jets and Ravens, of course. Those are the win-and-get-in teams. If they both win, the other five are out. But if one or both of them loses, the spots go up for grabs. And Denver is the only team that can lose its game Sunday and still grab one.
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