The Denver Broncos (13-3) have already clinched an AFC West title, but they will be seeking the No. 1 playoff seed in the conference when they host the Los Angeles Chargers (11-5) on Sunday.
“This game’s very much like a playoff game,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said during a conference call with reporters on Monday.
The Chargers plan to rest quarterback Justin Herbert and other key starters, but Denver is going all out to attempt to secure home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. If the Broncos beat L.A., Payton’s squad will skip the Wild Card round, putting them just two wins away from a trip to the Super Bowl.
“Historically speaking, it’s extremely important,” Payton said of clinching the top playoff seed. “Every study would show you [it’s beneficial], and there is a number of reasons for that. These games are three hours long. The first reason would be, you skip a game in which you’re at risk to not play well or an opponent all of a sudden has a great game. You skip the threat of potentially losing a game, if that makes any sense. You skip right to the next round.
“To be able to play in front of our fans with the crowd noise, the atmosphere. I don’t know, it’s been a while since they’ve hosted a playoff game. Certainly, it’s a fan base that deserves that opportunity. I get excited for them, and I get excited for our team. Man, all of it is important. Having been through this like nine, 10 other times, you’ve seen it all and you recognize how important it is: The challenge of winning playoff games on the road and how much more difficult that it is as opposed to trying to win them at home.”
Sunday’s game (2:25 p.m. MT) will be regionally televised on CBS. The Broncos are considered clear favorites.
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