AFC Playoff Picture after Steelers comeback, Broncos miss opportunity in Week 10
Week 10 of the NFL season brought all sorts of drama, particularly in the AFC. The week started with the Baltimore Ravens finding a way to defeat the unstoppable duo of Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase on Thursday Night Football despite Cincinnati's electric showing on offense.
Sunday's game included a couple of other electric finishes. Despite trailing for much of the second half, the Pittsburgh Steelers pulled off a fourth-quarter comeback against the Washington Commanders, as Russell Wilson found Mike Williams in his debut with the team for what proved to be the game-winning touchdown. With that win, the Steelers are now 7-2 and hold onto first place in the AFC North.
Another electric AFC finish consisted of both the Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos. What looked like an easy win on paper to improve to 9-0 on the season proved to be anything but for the Chiefs. In fact, the Broncos lined up for what would've been a game-winning field goal, thinking that they had an unlikely win, but the impossible happened. It was blocked, and the Chiefs found yet another way to win.
At 9-0, the Chiefs didn't need that win, but the Broncos certainly did. That loss is reflected in the updated AFC playoff picture.
Updated AFC Playoff Picture after Week 10: Steelers continue to roll, Broncos miss golden opportunity
Seed | Team | Record |
|---|---|---|
No. 1 | Kansas City Chiefs | 9-0 |
No. 2 | Buffalo Bills | 8-2 |
No. 3 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 7-2 |
No. 4 | Houston Texans | 6-3 |
No. 5 | Baltimore Ravens | 7-3 |
No. 6 | Los Angeles Chargers | 5-3 |
No. 7 | Denver Broncos | 5-5 |
This win couldn't have been much bigger for the Steelers, as they hold onto first place in the AFC North and remain just 0.5 games back of the Buffalo Bills for the No. 2 seed in the AFC. With how top-heavy the conference is, being a higher seed should help immensely.
As for the Broncos, their loss hurt a ton. They're back at the .500 mark after their second straight defeat, and have another tough matchup looming against the Atlanta Falcons. They're still in a playoff spot as of now, but a look at the Wild Card standings will show how badly the Broncos needed to seal the deal against the Chiefs.
AFC Wild Card standings after Week 10: Broncos make things interesting, open door for Jets
Seed | Team | Record |
|---|---|---|
No. 5 | Baltimore Ravens | 7-3 |
No. 6 | Los Angeles Chargers | 5-3 |
No. 7 | Denver Broncos | 5-5 |
-- | Indianapolis Colts | 4-6 |
-- | Cincinnati Bengals | 4-6 |
-- | New York Jets | 3-6 |
The Broncos loss not only dropped them back down to .500 and ensured that they'd remain locked into the No. 7 seed, but it made things more interesting than they would've liked in the AFC. The Indianapolis Colts and Cincinnati Bengals lost in frustrating fashion in Week 10 but didn't lose ground on Denver.
Most interestingly though, the door is wide open for the New York Jets. With a win against the Arizona Cardinals, they'd improve to 4-6, tying the Colts and Bengals as the first team out. They'd also cut the deficit against Denver to just 1.0 game, although their loss to the Broncos earlier this season effectively makes it a two-game deficit. A lot would still have to go the Jets way, but Denver's loss opened the door for Aaron Rodgers and Co. to make an unlikely run.
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