AFC Playoff Picture, Week 14: Patriots back on top
By Josh Hill
The AFC Playoffs are right around the corner, and the playoff picture is starting to take shape.
A week ago, the New England Patriots were the three-seed in the AFC Playoffs and looking at having to go to work on Wild Card Weekend
Oh how things can change in one week.
Both the Broncos and Bengals lost — both of whom playing with their backup quarterbacks — meaning the Patriots win on Sunday Night propelled them up to the No. 1 seed and in control of home field advantage. They can still slip up and lose, and if they finish tied with the Broncos then they won’t get the No. 1 seed. But New England has once again let the chips fall where they may — and once again they’ve fallen in the favor of Bill Belichick.
Here’s a look at what the current playoff bubble looks like and who is on both the inside and outside of the picture following the Patriots win over the Texans.
1. Patriots (11-2)
2. Bengals (10-3)
3. Broncos (10-3)
4. Colts(6-7)
WC1. Chiefs (8-5)
WC2. Jets (8-5)
Teams just on the outside of the bubble are:
Steelers (8-5)
Texans (6-7)
Bills (6-7)
Raiders (6-7)
Jaguars (5-8)
If the playoffs were to start today, here would be our matchups on Wild Card weekend:
Broncos vs. Jets
Colts vs. Chiefs
The Chiefs remain in the best position possible entering the postseason, as they would be getting the soft matchup of whoever wins the AFC South. That could, realistically, end up being the Jaguars or Titans — which has to be a dream for a fan base that hasn’t won a playoff game in over two decades.
With three more weeks left in the season, there isn’t a whole lot of separation between the teams in the AFC Playoff picture, so we haven’t yet seen the field solidify by any means.