ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The Denver Broncos will clinch a playoff spot with one week remaining in the regular season if they defeat the Cincinnati Bengals on the road Saturday. The victory, if it happens, would come nine years to the day after the Broncos clinched their last postseason appearance … with a win against the Bengals.

Drafted by Sean Payton's former New Orleans Saints in the third round (2017-20), the 6-foot-4, 270-pounder has 13.5 sacks this season and plays with a ferociously high level of effort and aggression that allows him to punish opposing QBs.

Denver is currently the seventh and final seed in the AFC, setting up a nightmare scenario for the first round of the NFL playoffs. If the season ended today, the Broncos would face the Buffalo Bills (the No. 2 seed) in the Wild Card round.