AFC Wild card standings after Week 10: Jaguars still clawing, Bills burning out
If Week 10 has taught us anything, it’s that some teams were pretenders instead of contenders. The AFC Wild Card race has become a fight to the finish.
Parity rules all in the NFL and there will be at least one serious surprise when all is said and done.
Let’s go over them all from top to bottom.
- Jacksonville Jaguars (6-3, +1)
- Buffalo Bills (5-4, — GB)
- Miami Dolphins (4-4,1 GB)
- Baltimore Ravens (4-5, 2 GB)
- Oakland Raiders (4-5, 2 GB)
- New York Jets (4-6, 3 GB)
- Denver Broncos (3-5, 3 GB)
- Houston Texas (3-6, 3 GB)
- Cincinnati Bengals (3-6, 3 GB)
- Los Angeles Chargers (3-6, 3 GB)
- Indianapolis Colts (3-7, 4 GB)
- Cleveland Browns (0-9, 6 GB)
The Analysis
Jacksonville Jaguars
Their Week 17 battle against the Tennessee Titans could easily decide who wins the AFC South. In the meantime, Jacksonville is getting it done in all three phases of the game.
A gutsy overtime win in Week 10 showcased gritty stamina. Moving forward, a favorable schedule includes Cleveland, Indianapolis, a depleted Seattle defense, Arizona and San Francisco.
Buffalo Bills
After two humbling losses to the Jets and the New Orleans Saints, the Bills are standing at the crossroads of their season.
Barring a miracle, their hopes of winning of the AFC East leaped out of the window, run down the street and called a UBER to get as far away from them as possible.
It’s Wild Card or bust for the Bills at this point. However, they have two dates with the Patriots and one against the Chiefs on their upcoming schedule. It’s not looking good.
Miami Dolphins
It’s feasible that Miami could take advantage of the Bills’ woes and make a run. As of late, they’ve flipped their rushing attack into a two-headed committee and they have finally gotten tight end Julius Thomas involved in the game-plan.
The defense is stout enough to compete. A win over the Carolina Panthers on Monday night will go a long way towards Miami stating their intentions.
Baltimore Ravens
Let’s give the floor to brutal honesty. The only reason that the Ravens have a shot at getting in as a wild card contestant is that they have a soft schedule.
Going down the stretch they simply have to be the best of the worst against the leaderless Green Bay Packers, the wounded Texans, the Bengals and the Browns are a few of teams that they should beat.
The problem is that the Ravens are extremely inconsistent and have been gotten by teams that they should have beat earlier this season.
Oakland Raiders
Is it too late for Oakland to get it together? Most likely. The Raiders have to run the table to get it done and even then have a few roadblocks standing in their way.
Key losses to Wild Card competitors in the Ravens and the Bills would serve as tie-breakers that would crush their hopes.
Their best bet on getting in would be to take care of the Chiefs on December to fight for the AFC West title.
Closing Thoughts
In the basement of the AFC lies a few teams that can decide to play for pride or a high draft pick.
Kudos to the Jets for failing to tank their year and as a result they developed a true star receiver in Robby Anderson.
With quarterback Jacoby Brissett in the concussion protocol, the Colts’ mission to find a signal caller rambles on.
The Broncos have turned into a punch-drunk boxer that is past his prime. No one saw their decline happening this fast, yet here we are.