NFL Playoff Scenarios: What Each Team Needs To Get To The Postseason
By Keith Myers
Current AFC Standings
| AFC Team | Div | W | L | T | |
| 1. | z- New England Patriots | ACE | 11 | 3 | 0 |
| 2. | z- Denver Broncos | ACW | 11 | 3 | 0 |
| 3. | z- Indianapolis Colts | ACS | 10 | 4 | 0 |
| 4. | Cincinnati Bengals | ACN | 9 | 4 | 1 |
| 5. | Pittsburgh Steelers | ACN | 9 | 5 | 0 |
| 6. | Baltimore Ravens | ACN | 9 | 5 | 0 |
| 7. | Kansas City Chiefs | ACW | 8 | 6 | 0 |
| 8. | San Diego Chargers | ACW | 8 | 6 | 0 |
| 9. | Buffalo Bills | ACE | 8 | 6 | 0 |
| 10. | Houston Texans | ACS | 7 | 7 | 0 |
| 11. | Miami Dolphins | ACE | 7 | 7 | 0 |
z – clinched division
Three playoffs spots are already spoken for, which leaves eight teams vying for the remaining three spots. By next week, many of those teams could already be eliminated from playoff contention.
Over the next two weeks, there are six games in which two AFC contenders are playing each other. Those game will surely decide the fates of many of the teams listed above. That doesn’t even include the Colts-Cowboys game this week, which is sure to have significant impact on the final seeding in both conferences.
The AFC North, which is the only AFC division that hasn’t crowned a winner yet, has three teams that are all within a half-game of the division lead. In fact, it is entirely feasible for all three teams to make the playoffs. That scenario doesn’t even require any crazy upsets.
To help make sense of all of this, each division will be broken down separately.
Next: AFC West