In order for the Patriots to be the No. 1 seed, they must defeat the Miami Dolphins in Week 18 and have the Broncos lose to the Chargers. The Dolphins have played spirited football down the stretch this season and gave the Patriots all they wanted back in Week 2.

Nix's fourth-quarter touchdown pass helped Denver survive a gritty Chiefs performance in Travis Kelce's potential final home game

Broncos inside linebacker Justin Strnad ( foot) is the only active-roster player who has been ruled out for Week 16. Strnad might be a candidate for injured reserve, and if he does land on IR, that would open up a spot for fellow linebacker Karene Reid ( hamstring ), who returned to practice this week and is now eligible to return.

The Broncos have now won 12 of 13 games and advanced to 13-3 after defeating the nine-time AFC West champions.

The NFL might be scrambling to flex games that have much impact on the playoff race. The Los Angeles Chargers could have set up an AFC West championship game in Week 18 with a win Saturday, but they came out surprisingly flat against the Houston Texans.