AFC playoff picture: Chiefs earn bye, Steelers could be next

Looking at the AFC playoff picture, we have a clear-cut favorite next weekend and a game nobody should be forced to watch.

The AFC playoff picture is set. After 17 weeks of madness in the 2016 NFL regular season, we see the New England Patriots and our Kansas City Chiefs earning the first-round byes as the top two seeds, respectively.

Meanwhile, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Houston Texans are the No. 3 and 4 seeds, having won their divisions. Pittsburgh is the third seed and will play host to the Miami Dolphins, who are in the playoffs for the first time this decade. Houston is the fourth seed and the Oakland Raiders will be headed to the Space City.

Frankly, the Steelers are going to be heavy favorites at home to take down the Dolphins, who are talented but very young and inexperienced. Pittsburgh might even be favored by double digits. The other game is a total dumpster fire. Oakland and Houston are going to be starting some combination of Tom Savage, Brock Osweiler, Matt McGloin and Connor Cook at the quarterback position. It’s brutal.

Kansas City should be rooting like crazy for the Dolphins to spring the upset. If that happens, the Chiefs would face the winner of the Raiders and Texans. Who wouldn’t sign for that?

No matter what, Kansas City is two wins away from the Super Bowl.