The six AFC Playoff teams are set, but the playoff seeding will be decided in Week 17
Entering Week 17, only two AFC Playoff teams know their playoff seeding. The Pittsburgh Steelers are locked into the third seed and the Houston Texans are locked into the four seed. The rest is up in the air.
The New England Patriots are guaranteed a first-round bye but they can clinch home field in the AFC playoff bracket with a win over Miami on Sunday. However, if Miami and Oakland win, the Raiders would finish with the same record as New England.
The Raiders need backup quarterback Matt McGloin to lead them to victory over divisional rival Denver to clinch the AFC West. McGloin has not started a game since his 2013 rookie season. If Oakland loses to the defending Super Bowl champions and Kansas City beat San Diego, Oakland finishes as the fifth seed and plays Houston in the first round.
The Miami Dolphins can climb into a tie for the fifth seed if they beat New England on Sunday and the Chiefs lose to San Diego. If the Patriots win, the Dolphins will go to Pittsburgh, where the terrible towels will be out in full force. The Dolphins defeated the Steelers 30-15, behind Jay Ajayi’s 207 all-purpose yards and two-touchdown day.
A Kansas City win locks the Chiefs into at least the five seed and a trip to Houston. The Texans beat the Chiefs at home, 19-12, in Week 2. If the Chiefs win and Oakland loses, the Chiefs will clinch a first round bye and the number two seed.
Next: Every NFL Team's Best Draft Pick Of All-Time
With Pittsburgh already locked into the third seed, expect head coach Mike Tomlin to rest his starters. Do not expect Tomlin to take any chances after Raiders’ starting quarterback Derek Carr break his leg.
The Texans can rest starters, but it’s not a guaranteed they will. After making a quarterback switch to Tom Savage they cannot just sit him in Week 17. Savage still needs to get reps with the first team. It’s also difficult to rest Savage and put Brock Osweiler into the starting lineup. If they do that, they would be creating more problems that they do not want to deal with if Osweiler plays well.