Broncos and Chargers playoff scenarios: What's at stake on Thursday Night Football showcase

The past couple of weeks of "Thursday Night Football" have featured matchups between division rivals who are in the thick of the playoff race. Two weeks ago, it was the Detroit Lions winning a thriller over the Green Bay Packers. Last week saw the Los Angeles Rams defeat the San Francisco 49ers in a rainy, low scoring game. For Week 16, there is a huge matchup between two AFC West foes.

On Thursday night, the Los Angeles Chargers host the Denver Broncos. The two teams are in the thick of the AFC Wild Card race, with the Kansas City Chiefs already clinching the division. With that, the two teams have a pretty sizable lead over the opposition for the last two Wild Card spots.

But what will happen if either team were to win on Thursday night.

NFL playoff scenarios, Week 16: What happens if the Broncos beat the Chargers?

For the Broncos, it's a pretty simple scenario for them. If they are to defeat the Chargers on Thursday night, they will clinch a Wild Card berth. In that case, they would be making it to the playoffs for the first time since 2015, when they won Super Bowl 50 in Peyton Manning's final year in the NFL.

In that case, if the Chargers were to lose, things get a bit more interesting. According to NFL.com, a loss would give them a 75 percent chance of making the playoffs, as they would fall to 8-7 on the year. With that, it would give hope to the Indianapolis Colts, Miami Dolphins, and Cincinnati Bengals, who are all 6-8 on the season. Of course, all three of those teams would need to win to keep their hopes alive with just two games remaining each after this week. Either way, the Chargers would clinch a spot within the final two weeks of the season in that case.

NFL playoff scenarios, Week 16: What happens if the Chargers beat the Broncos?

If the Chargers were to win, they would see their playoff odds improve to 97 percent, according to NFL.com. That would leave the Broncos with an 85 percent chance to make the playoffs if that is the case. Even so, the Broncos would still have a win-and-in situation entering next week in their matchup against the Bengals.

So to sum it all up, the Broncos are win on Thursday, and they are in the playoffs, while the Chargers would face a bit more uncertainty to close out the season. But if the Chargers win, their odds increase drastically, while the Broncos can still clinch a berth next week with a win over the Bengals.