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OAKLAND, Calif. – **For the second year in a row, the Broncos finished off the regular season 13-3 and earned the top seed in the AFC – guaranteeing a first-round bye and home-field advantage.
All of that fell into place with a 34-14 win against the Raiders in Oakland on Sunday and now the team's focus will shift to the postseason.
"It's not easy to go back-to-back 13-3's, it's not easy to go back-to-back No. 1 seeds," Head Coach John Fox said. "Obviously, everybody in our building, our city, probably our region, maybe the country was disappointed with how we finished a year ago.
"Hopefully that has been a fire in the belly of most everybody in our building since last January."
The Broncos set their sights on claiming the top spot in the AFC before the start of the season and because that goal now has been accomplished, the team has earned a little time off.
Without a game next weekend, the Broncos will have a chance to get rested and healthy as the postseason begins.
"We put ourselves in a good spot but at the same time we have to get ready for this next season and try to keep this thing rolling," running back Knowshon Moreno said. "But it's good to get a little bit of rest right now and get ready."
The first-round bye also presents an opportunity to get a head start on the film study, as the team will have the chance to watch the first-round games this coming weekend.
Cornerback Champ Bailey said he will "absolutely" be watching the Wild Card Round.
"We've got the best position possible going into the playoffs," Bailey said. "It just means we've got to keep grinding. It really doesn't matter what seed you are, to be honest with you. You've got to be ready to go, because whoever you face is going to be a really good football team."
Bailey went on to say that he hopes to give the fans that provide that home-field advantage a better showing than they did a year ago.
The Broncos have been clear on the fact that the postseason is the mark by which they want to measure their success – and regular season success was a necessary mean to that end. With the regular season now complete, there are a new set of goals to reach.
"I think our main thing throughout the season is put yourself in a great situation to be first-round bye, home-field advantage – I think we did a great job of doing that," wide receiver Demaryius Thomas said. "Now it's all about the playoffs. It's win or go home and I think everybody on our team and in our organization knows if we don't go out and play our football it will be the same thing as last year. We don't want that feeling again."
