If the betting odds are correct, the path to the Super Bowl in the AFC will go through Denver.
The Broncos are heavy -175 favorites to earn the AFC No. 1 seed, which comes with a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs. The Broncos could clinch the No. 1 seed as soon as Sunday, if the Chargers, Patriots, Bills and Jaguars all lose. The Broncos would also clinch the No. 1 seed with a win in Week 18.
The next-best odds go to the Patriots, who are +190 to earn the No. 1 seed. New England needs to win its final two games and hope the Broncos lose to the Chargers in Week 18.
The Jaguars are longer shots at +1200 to earn the No. 1 seed. The Jaguars would get the No. 1 seed if they win their final two games and both the Patriots and Broncos lose a game.
The Chargers are significant long shots at +3000. They would need to win their final two games while the Patriots and Jaguars both lose a game.
The Bills are the longest shots on the board at +4500. Buffalo needs to win both of its final two games while the Jaguars, Patriots, Chargers and Broncos all lose at least one game.
The Broncos placed starting center Luke Wattenberg on injured reserve on Thursday with a shoulder injury. He will miss the final two regular-season games and the first two weeks of the postseason before becoming eligible to return.
Alex Forsyth started in Wattenberg’s place in Thursday’s win over the Chiefs and earned a game ball.
The Broncos, though, needed another center for depth purposes. They announced they signed Sam Mustipher off the Chargers’ practice squad on Friday.
The Broncos waived offensive guard Calvin Throckmorton in a corresponding move.
Mustipher has appeared in 64 games and started 43 in his NFL career. He last saw regular-season action in 2024, when he appeared in 12 games for the Chargers.
He spent the 2024 offseason with the Broncos after signing with the team in April.
Throckmorton played four special teams snaps in Denver’s win over the Chiefs on Thursday night after being promoted to the active roster.
The Chargers elevated offensive tackle Foster Sarell and safety Marcus Williams from the practice squad for Saturday’s game against the Texans.
Sarell has appeared in six games for the Chargers this season, starting at right guard in Week 9 against the Titans. He has made four starts in 41 regular-season game appearances with the team since 2022.
Sarell came into the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Ravens in 2021 before joining the Chargers later that year.
Williams, an eight-year veteran, has played the past two games for the Chargers. He has seven tackles in 73 defensive snaps and two on special teams.
He entered the NFL as a second-round pick of the Saints in 2017 and has started 116 games and played in four others in his career, including the postseason.
Williams has totaled 468 tackles, five tackles for loss, 20 interceptions, 56 passes defensed, three fumble recoveries and a sack in his career.
The team also announced it signed tight end Tanner McLachlan to the practice squad. He previously spent time on the Chargers’ practice squad this season.
The Bengals made him a sixth-round pick in 2024, and he played two games as a rookie for Cincinnati.
The Texans signed safety K’Von Wallace from the practice squad to the active roster, the team announced Friday.
Wallace signed to the team’s practice squad on Nov. 13, and they elevated him to the game-day roster for Week 15. He played 13 special teams snaps against the Cardinals but had no stats.
That is his only game action of 2025.
He has played 72 games, with 19 starts, in six seasons, seeing action with the Eagles, Cardinals, Titans, Seahawks and Texans.
The Texans waived cornerback Ameer Speed in a corresponding move and also announced they elevated defensive tackle Leki Fotu and offensive guard Sidy Sow.
Cornerback Ajani Carter (hamstring), defensive end Darrell Taylor (knee) and wide receiver Justin Watson (calf) will not travel with the team to Los Angeles and are ruled out for Saturday’s game against the Chargers.
The Broncos took care of business on Christmas, defeating the Chiefs to move to 13-3 on the season.
While the Broncos have already clinched a postseason berth, they have a shot to clinch the No. 1 overall seed this weekend. But there’s a better chance the club could clinch the AFC West and a home playoff game, as that will be the case if the Texans defeat the Chargers on Saturday afternoon.
But if Los Angeles defeats Houston, the division title will come down to the Week 18 matchup between the Chargers and Broncos in Denver.
That’s part of why quarterback Bo Nix told reporters that he’s more concerned about the Broncos handling their own business than anything that might happen this weekend.
“At the end of the day, none of it really matters. We have to play the final game, and we have to take care of it,” Nix said in his press conference. “[The Chargers] are going to be a good football team. Some other team could help us along the way, but at the end of the day, it is going to come down to us versus them.
“We are excited to have them at home. It is going to be a really good environment and atmosphere. It is honestly playoff atmosphere. It is going to be tough. I have not beaten them, but it is going to be a good nine days of preparation. On the tenth day, it will be all you have got for four quarters, or however long it takes. We are excited about it. It will be good to have rest. It will be a good long weekend for us.”
As Nix said, he’s 0-3 against the Chargers so far over his first two seasons. He’s completed 63 percent of his passes against the club for 632 yards with five touchdowns and one interception.
