A year ago at this time, the Denver Broncos were mired in a five-game losing streak. Their high-priced quarterback was playing the worst football of his career. Their embattled head coach was weeks from being fired.
In Indianapolis, the Colts were slogging through even more dysfunction: Their head coach had been fired in early November, replaced by an ESPN analyst without any NFL coaching experience, and the team was on the verge of a seven-game losing skid to end a season of unimaginable embarrassment.
Twelve months later, both teams find themselves as surprising players in the AFC playoff picture, especially considering each team’s rocky road to this point.