The Kansas CIty Chiefs and Detroit Lions earned first-round byes in the 14-team NFL playoffs. Each finished with a 15-2 record, tied for the best in the league.

That’s when I knew what type of team we had,” Pat Surtain said of the Broncos’ joint practice with the Packers last summer.

It's difficult to imagine the conference champion not being one of the top three seeds, but as we know, in the NFL, anything ...