With a month to go in the regular season, we're talking playoffs. But before the Denver Broncos faithful start eye-balling a trip to the playoffs, let us remind you of something:

How about 8-5 with three games to go last season with a winnable game at Invesco Field against Buffalo? Remember that. I thought so.br/>
Don’t fret, Broncos fans. The schedule-makers are on your side this year -- I think. Here’s why. Denver (8-4) holds a two-game lead over Baltimore in the AFC Wild Card race with the Ravens on the outside looking in. Sandwiched between them is streaking Jacksonville at 7-5. But what the Broncos need to look at isn’t just the two winnable games at home against AFC West foes Oakland and Kansas City. It’s Miami’s game at Jacksonville this weekend and three weeks from now when Baltimore travels to Pittsburgh in the next-to-last game of the season. Those games will be pivotal in determining who does and doesn’t get into the final AFC wildcard spot.

Miami, Baltimomre and Pittsburgh are all 6-6 after last week's action. While Denver does have losses to the Ravens and Steelers, it holds a better conference record than all three of those teams, not to mention the New York Jets, who are also 6-6. So a three-way tie would work out in Denver’s favor, as long as it's not a tie with the Ravens and Steelers. Add in the fact that Pittsburgh plays at Miami in the last week of the season and the likelihood, though not impossible, that two of those three teams ends up with 10 wins.

That would leave just Jacksonville and the N.Y. Jets with the mathematical possibility of catching Denver, should the Broncos win their final two home games. Even then, the Jets, who would have to run the table with wins against Indianapolis and Cincinnati the last two weeks, wouldn’t catch Denver due to an inferior conference record.

That leaves one final question: Can the Broncos catch San Diego for the AFC West title? Yes, but the Broncos have some work to do, like sweeping the Raiders and Chiefs, and winning one more game -- a victory at Philadelphia in Week 16 would count more in the tiebreaker scenario then a win at Indianapolis this week -- to have a shot. A San Diego loss the next two weeks to either Dallas or Cincinnati and at Tennessee in Week 16 wouldn’t hurt, either.

--- MICHAEL HICKS.