How has Denver not Clinched?

[FantasyMan13]

I don't understand why Denver hasn't clinched yet. Let's say they lose and fall to 9-7. They still have the tiebreakers over every other possible 9-7 team in the AFC. What am I missing here?

[Munboy]

I'm not sure exactly why without gonig over win/loses, but this is according to NFL.com

Denver clinches a playoff berth with:

1) DEN win or tie, OR
2) KC loss or tie

They won, so they SHOULD have clinched a playoff birth.

[logan]

I don't understand why Denver hasn't clinched yet. Let's say they lose and fall to 9-7. They still have the tiebreakers over every other possible 9-7 team in the AFC. What am I missing here?

because KC will hold the tiebreaker over them more or less. they split the series but KC has the better divisional record at 4-2 compared to denver's 3-3 record. so whilst denver is pretty much going to be in,as they play the niners, if they lose ,kc wins and the titans and cinci lose or tie then denver will effectively be out of the playoffs as we hold the tie breaker. its a long shot but it could happen do thats why they have not clinched.

[chidoy]

This might help..... This is a scenario for the Bengals to get in (which involves DEN and NYJ)

The Bengals must defeat Pittsburgh and get help on Sunday to reach the postseason. The Bengals are still alive for a possible first Wild Card spot.
All speculation below assumes a Bengals win over Pittsburgh for a 9-7 record:

The Bengals at 9-7 will qualify for the postseason if:
1) The NY Jets lose at home to Oakland, falling to 9-7,
or
2) Denver goes to 9-7 with a loss at home to San Francisco, and Kansas City rises to 9-7 with a home win against Jacksonville.

Either 1) or 2) gets the Bengals in the playoffs, but both scenarios must occur for the Bengals to get the first Wild Card. If only one occurs, the Bengals will be the second Wild Card.

Here are the explanations behind the two scenarios:
1) A Jets loss means that among possible contenders for two Wild Card spots, only Denver could finish above 9-7. If Denver claims the first Wild Card at 10-6, the Bengals would win any tie for the second spot based on conference record (7-5). No team among Kansas City, Jacksonville, Tennessee or the Jets could be above 6-6. If Denver loses and joins a pack at 9-7, the Bengals could claim the first Wild Card. The key for Cincinnati is that Kansas City would also have to win, because all ties must first be broken within a division, and Chiefs would eliminate Denver based on AFC West record. In the next step, Bengals would take the first Wild Card based on best conference record. If Kansas City is not involved, Denver still gets the first Wild Card at 9-7, based on conference record (8-4), and Cincinnati would take the second Wild Card based on second-best conference record.

2) This scenario presumes a Jets win, in which case Jets would take first Wild Card at 10-6. But as long as Kansas City wins to tie a losing Denver team at 9-7, the Broncos in any tie among 9-7 teams cannot take advantage of their best overall conference record (8-4) or their head-to-head win over the Bengals. The Broncos are first eliminated in the same AFC West tiebreak described above in 1). Jacksonville would be eliminated because it lost to Kansas City and finished 8-8. The next tiebreaker would involve Cincinnati, Kansas City, and possibly Tennessee. If the Titans defeat visiting New England to make it a three-way tie, the Bengals take the second Wild Card based on best conference record. If the Titans lose and it’s just Cincinnati vs. Kansas City, the Bengals take the second Wild Card based on head-to-head play.

If the Jets and Denver both win, they will both be 10-6 and the Bengals cannot qualify. Denver would claim the first Wild Card with a better conference record, and the Jets would be the second Wild Card.

[skinsfan]

It's a strange thing:

1) Denver and KC could tie at 9-7
2) KC has the better Division record
3) Most other teams outside the division have better conference records than KC (4-7!)

If KC and Denver tie at 9-7, the tiebreaker rules automatically put Denver below KC, KC below just about everyone else, and therefore Denver below just about everyone else, including KC.

So Denver sure as hell better win if they want to make the playoffs!

[mweir145]

I'm pretty sure the only scenario that Denver doesn't make the playoffs is the one where KC makes it. That means they have to lose, KC has to win, Tennessee has to lose and Cincinnati has to lose. In other words, it's not going to happen.