People REALLY wanted to beat Denver. Their hope was that a Denver loss would lead to a #3 seed and a tougher road to the Super Bowl.
As I told everyone then, the curse of the AFC cannot be denied. Denver beat us, thus finishing
13-3.
EDIT: AFC teams finishing with a 13-3 record since 1992 are now 4-11 in the playoffs, at home after the bye week.