why do the broncos have the tiebreaker against the patriots

The Broncos have the tiebreaker over the Patriots this season because they are better in the specific playoff tiebreaker categories the NFL uses when teams share the same record.

Core reason

When the Broncos and Patriots have identical records, the NFL applies its seeding tiebreaker rules. In 2025, Denver is ahead of New England because:

• The Broncos have a better record against common opponents , which was officially clinched when Denver beat the Raiders in Week 14, while New England had already lost to Las Vegas back in Week 1.

• Denver also holds an edge in AFC conference record (for example, 7–2 vs. 6–2 at one point in December), which is another key tiebreaker once common opponents favor the Broncos.

How the NFL tiebreaker works

For two teams tied for seeding in the same conference (but from different divisions), the NFL applies the tiebreakers in this basic order:

• Head-to-head, if applicable
• Conference record
• Record vs. common opponents (minimum of four games)
• Strength of victory, then strength of schedule, and several further steps if still tied.

Because Denver’s results against common opponents are already locked in better than New England’s, and they also currently edge the Patriots in conference record, the tiebreaker falls Denver’s way even though the overall records match.

Current playoff impact

• The Broncos sit as the AFC’s No. 1 seed with an identical or similar record to New England precisely because of those tiebreakers.

• That means Denver “controls its own destiny” for home-field advantage, while the Patriots need both to keep winning and for the Broncos to stumble for the seeding to flip.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.