NFL Power Rankings: Dividing the AFC by contenders and pretenders

The NFL Week 12 slate has been a fever dream so far, and we haven't even made it to Sunday Night Football yet. Missed extra points in the final minutes, massive games from unsuspecting sources and a couple upset wins (hello, Tennessee) have made this a thrilling slate already.

Through all the madness, a wild power rankings emerges. At this point in the season — well over halfway through — it's getting a little safer to determine which teams are for real, and which teams will falter when the playoffs roll around. Some of the contenders are obvious — you've been watching the same football we have this year. But some teams are sneaking up the "contender" ladder while some teams with good records have reasons to be concerned that they fall into the "pretender" category.

Contenders: Chiefs, Bills lead the way in the AFC with Ravens and Chargers close behind

Say what you will about the Kansas City Chiefs (they barely beat the Panthers, Raiders and Broncos, and lost to the Bills who they might play again in the playoffs) but despite a strange season and some inconsistent offensive outputs, the Chiefs are 10-1 and their quarterback is the best player in football. Plus, they've won 3 Super Bowls already so we already know they're the contender. Even calling them contenders is weird because they're the team others want to contend with. Yes, the Chiefs are still the best team in football until we're proven otherwise.

Buffalo is hoping to prove otherwise, and this might be the year it finally does. Calling the Bills "pretenders" wouldn't be fair, no matter how many times this team loses to Kansas City in the AFC playoffs, because the Bills can win it all, and they just need a few balls to break their way for this to be the year it happens. Josh Allen playing like the MVP would definitely be helpful.

Aside from the two powerhouses in the AFC, the Baltimore Ravens should always be taken seriously. As long as Lamar Jackson is doing Lamar Jackson things, Baltimore has a shot at winning the whole thing, despite what people may tell you about Lamar Jackson in the playoffs.

The last contender in the AFC? You might not believe it... you might not want to believe it... but it's the Los Angeles Chargers. Yes, it's true! Jim Harbaugh's defense has been fantastic all year, and in the past few weeks, Justin Herbert and the rest of the offense is catching up. Herbert has been slinging it recently, including 7 touchdowns to 0 interceptions over his past four games. This team can get it done on both sides and should not be slept on in the AFC.

Pretenders: Broncos, Steelers, Texans shouldn't be trusted

Bo Nix and Russell Wilson believers, please shield your eyes. It might be a little too early for the rookie Nix to make noise in the playoffs, a little late for the veteran Russell Wilson to do so.

Denver has shocked the football world this season, and a win against Las Vegas on Sunday pushes the Broncos record to 7-5 on the season. That's legit! But Denver still isn't on the level of the big guns in the AFC, evidenced by a 41-10 loss to the Ravens and losses to both the Chargers and Chiefs.

Pittsburgh will always be in the conversation because Mike Tomlin is one of the best coaches alive, but the Steelers loss to the Browns showed they're not quite the force they appeared to be a few weeks prior to that game.

TJ Watt is a game-wrecker off the edge and Russell Wilson still looks pretty sharp, but the Steelers don't quite have the horses to run with the Super Bowl contenders of the conference.

And Houston... well, the Texans have kind of started to faceplant. Losers of 3 of 4 games, CJ Stroud and company have hit a bit of a wall in the middle part of the season. A loss to Tennessee in Week 12 will probably be rock bottom, but even if the team gets back on track, it still feels a notch or two below contention. Losing Stefon Diggs for the season definitely doesn't help with that, either.

Houston will be competitive in the playoffs, but there's definitely a ceiling to the Texans success.