AFC playoff picture following Week 14
As far as teams that are in the playoffs, the AFC stayed the same following the Week 14 games. The only difference was the Kansas City Chiefs’ takeover of the 3rd seed which dropped the Houston Texans to the 4th seed. Baltimore remained the top seed with some breathing room on New England following their loss to Kansas City. They also hold the tiebreaker from earlier this season.
The Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers remain in place as the Wild Card teams to travel to Kansas City and Houston. Week 15 will be another week of critical matchups for the AFC playoff picture. Buffalo and Pittsburgh will face off on Sunday night, which could lead to the loser falling out of the playoff picture. The Tennessee Titans will take on the Houston Texans for their first of two matchups over the next three weeks with significant AFC South implications on the line.
Tennessee might be the hottest team in the AFC outside of Baltimore, going into Week 15. Tied at 8-5 with the Texans, the Titans could not only take over the AFC South with a victory, but they could also knock the Texans out of the picture, depending on how the other games turn out. The Chiefs hope to increase their lead, maintaining the 3rd seed as they battle against divisional opponent hosting the Denver Broncos.
We could see a significant change to the AFC playoff picture in Week 15, with so many teams close together in the race. Oakland and Indianapolis look to be out of the picture permanently as they are two games back on the Titans who are the top “In the Hunt” spot. It’s unlikely the top of the AFC will see any change as the Patriots travel to play the Cincinnati Bengals, and the Ravens host the New York Jets on Thursday Night Football.
Will the Chiefs defense put their foot down and slow down the hype of Drew Lock? Week 15 is ahead.