The Broncos have held the AFC West championship for a couple of weeks now, but thanks to their Week 18 win over the Los Angeles Chargers, they secured the No. 1 seed as well.
As a result, while the wild-card begins this weekend, Denver will be watching from home as they'll receive the first-round bye.
This not only involves resting but also preparing extra for whoever the Broncos will face in the divisional round.
With that being said, here's a look at the potential opponents for the Broncos after their bye in the playoffs.
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NFL playoff bracket 2026
Who do the Broncos play next?
With Denver's success, they will now enjoy the benefits of securing the No. 1 seed. The Broncos are set to face the lowest remaining NFC seed in the divisional round.
No. 4 Pittsburgh Steelers
With the Steelers narrowly defeating the Baltimore Ravens, they snuck their way into the postseason. If Pittsburgh manages to get past the Houston Texans in the wild-card round, and the New England Patriots and Jacksonville Jaguars win their matchups, the Steelers would travel to Denver to play the Broncos.
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No. 5 Houston Texans
After the Jaguars secured the AFC South, Houston finds itself matched up with the Steelers. Similar to Pittsburgh's scenario, if the Texans win the wild-card game and the Patriots and Jags win their matchups, the Texans would head to Mile High to face the Broncos.
No. 6 Buffalo Bills
If the Bills win in Jacksonville, the only scenario that would prevent Buffalo from facing Denver is if the Los Angeles Chargers beat the Patriots in the wild-card. This would undoubtedly make for a fascinating matchup in the divisional round.
No. 7 Los Angeles Chargers
No matter what happens in the other matchups, if the Chargers beat the Patriots in the wild-card round, they would automatically face the Broncos because they're the lowest seed.
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