AFC standings, Week 18: KC Chiefs clinch top seed

What were the results of the Week 18 NFL games and what do the final standings look like in the AFC? Who joins the KC Chiefs in the AFC playoff field?

The NFL has already completed its regular season and the AFC playoff race was exciting entering the final week before the playoffs. Coming into the week, multiple teams were vying for the final wild-card spot in the conference and one division had a winner-take-all showdown.

Week 18 featured only games between two AFC teams. Coming into the week, five teams in the AFC had a winning record, seven teams had a losing record, and four teams were at exactly 0.500.

Before we look at the closing standings in the entire conference, let’s take a look at how the AFC West finished the year and how each team compares to last week.

Here are the final standings of the AFC West for the 2022 season:

The Kansas City Chiefs ended their regular season with a clean 31-13 victory over the lowly Las Vegas Raiders. The Denver Broncos bested the Los Angeles Chargers to end their regular season.

For the third time in seven seasons (2016 and 2019), the Kansas City Chiefs have swept their AFC West division rivals. This would have been viewed as a longshot coming into the season by most NFL fans, yet the Chiefs pulled it off. The Chargers now turn their attention to their wild-card playoff game this weekend, the Broncos begin their search for a new head coach, and the Raiders now commence an offseason that will involve a search for a new starting quarterback.

What will the division will look like next season? It’s too early to tell, but we do know that it hinges on who the Broncos hire as their next coach and which quarterback the Raiders bring in to succeed Derek Carr, in addition to any moves the Chargers make.