Denver Broncos in driver's seat for home-field advantage following Week 14 win over Raiders

Travis Wakeman

Denver Broncos in driver's seat for home-field advantage following Week 14 win over Raiders image

The Denver Broncos improved to 11-2 on the season following a 24-17 win over the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday. The win gave the Broncos what could be a significant tiebreaker by the end of the season. 

The Broncos and New England Patriots both stand at 11-2 on the season, but if they finish with the same record, the Broncos will have the tiebreaker over them due to a better record against common opponents. The Patriots lost to the Raiders back in Week 1, making them 5-1 against those common opponents while the Broncos are 6-0. 

That could give the Broncos the chance to have the AFC playoffs go through Empower Field in Denver. That could be huge as the Broncos are currently 6-0 at home this season. 

The Broncos will host the Green Bay Packers in Week 15, while the Patriots welcome the Buffalo Bills to Foxborough in what will be a huge game in the AFC East. It's quite possible that the Broncos and Patriots won't finish the season with the same record, but if they do, the Broncos have the advantage. 

Broncos/Patriots remaining schedules

WeekBroncosPatriots
15Green BayBuffalo
16Jacksonvilleat Baltimore
17at Kansas Cityat N.Y. Jets
18L.A. ChargersMiami

With the win over the Raiders, the Broncos swept the season series against them and earned their 10th win in a row. 

Bo Nix completed 31-of-38 passes for 212 yards while also rushing for a touchdown. RJ Harvey rushed for 75 yards and a touchdown and Courtland Sutton had six receptions for 62 yards to pace the offense. On defense, Nik Bonitto added two more sacks to his season total, giving him 12.5 on the season. 

The Broncos have now taken the last four games against the Raiders and the win makes them 3-1 against the AFC West this season and 5-2 on the road. 

The Raiders were able to tie the game 7-7, but a 48-yard punt return for a touchdown by Marvin Mims Jr. Turned things around in favor of the Broncos and they never looked back. It was the first punt return for a touchdown in Mims' career. 

The Raiders added 10 points in the fourth quarter to make the score look much closer than the game actually was. The Broncos had 39 minutes of time of possession compared to just 21 for the Raiders, who had to turn to Kenny Pickett after Geno Smith was knocked out of the game with a hand injury. 

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Editorial Team