This has been a strange year in the NFL, to say the least. For one, the Kansas City Chiefs would not be in the playoffs if the season ended today. Another reason, if you look at the playoff standings right now, you might think we're in the early 2010s and not the mid-2020s due to who would be playing past the regular season.
The Chiefs currently aren't in the playoff picture and it's looking more and more likely that the Denver Broncos are going to win the AFC West, which would be their first division title since the 2015 season (that's also the last time K.C. didn't win the division, for what it's worth). The Broncos are an impressive 10-2 and very well could end up as the one-seed in the AFC by the time the regular season is in the books.
That's obviously not fun for Chiefs fans to think about but there's a silver lining here and that's that the Broncos haven't been all that great against playoff teams in the 2025 season. Jeff Howe of The Athletic posted the current playoff standings on X and also included each team's record against other playoff teams and the Broncos are just 1-2 in those games.
Playoff seedings, including each team’s record against current playoff teams:
— Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) December 2, 2025
AFC
1. Patriots 2-0
2. Broncos 1-2
3. Jaguars 2-2
4. Ravens 1-2
5. Chargers 1-2
6. Colts 2-1
7. Bills 2-1
NFC
1. Bears 1-1
2. Rams 6-2
3. Eagles 3-2
4. Bucs 2-4
5. Seahawks 1-3
6. Packers 0-1
7.…
Broncos shiny playoff path reveals a flaw that gives Chiefs fans hope
For those wondering, the Broncos beat the Eagles back when that had more merit to it. Their two losses to playoff teams have been to the Colts and to the Chargers, both of which came early in the year. Since that win over Philly, however, the Broncos have not faced any teams currently in the playoff picture and those are the games they're going to need to experience to prepare them for those big games.
Denver still has a rematch against the Chargers as well as games against the Jaguars and Packers so there's a chance for them to try and improve their record in this category. For now though, if Chiefs fans have to deal with a reality where the Broncos are in the playoffs instead of them, they're going to cling to stats like these and hope like heck that Denver ends up looking like frauds when it's all said and done.