Week 8 of the 2026 NFL regular season gave us one of the biggest matchups of the season. It pitted the 5-1 Kansas City Chiefs against the 5-2 Denver Broncos in the late window on Sunday with the winner of that game sitting in first place in the AFC West.
Unfortunately for the Chiefs, they found every way to choke that game away. Now the AFC West lead belongs to Denver, and the Chiefs will have to try to catch up in the final two months of the season.
With the NFL nearing the halfway mark of the season, we can officially shift our attention to focusing a little more on the playoff picture each week. The Chiefs missed out on the postseason last year, which was the first time that had happened since 2014. They'd have to really melt down to not make it this season, but winning the division and hosting a playoff game is not a guarantee.
The AFC also has plenty of juggernauts who are going to be forces to be reckoned with when the postseason does begin. The Bills and Jaguars put on clinics in Week 8, while the Bengals and Steelers also won their games.
How does the playoff picture look now that all of the AFC teams have played their Week 8 matchups?
AFC playoff picture after Week 8
1. Buffalo Bills (1st in AFC East) - 6-1
2. Denver Broncos (1st in AFC West) - 6-2
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (1st in AFC North) - 6-2
4. Jacksonville Jaguars (1st in AFC South) - 5-2
5. Kansas City Chiefs (2nd in AFC West) - 5-2
6. Cincinnati Bengals (2nd in AFC North) - 5-2
7. New England Patriots (2nd in AFC East) - 5-3
8. Cleveland Browns (3rd in AFC North) - 5-3
9. Las Vegas Raiders (3rd in AFC West) - 4-4
10. Baltimore Ravens (4th in AFC North) - 4-4
11. Houston Texans (2nd in AFC South) - 2-5
12. New York Jets (3rd in AFC East) - 2-6
13. Indianapolis Colts (3rd in AFC South) - 2-6
14. Miami Dolphins (4th in AFC East) - 1-6
15. Tennessee Titans (4th in AFC South) - 1-7
16. Los Angeles Chargers (4th in AFC West) - 0-7
What the updated standings mean for the Chiefs
Well, thanks to the loss in Denver, the Chiefs would go on the road for likely the entirety of the playoffs if the postseason began today. In fact, they'd start off with a trip to Jacksonville against the Jaguars. Meanwhile, the Bills would get the bye, the Broncos would host the Patriots, and the Steelers would host the Bengals.
The good news is that it's only Week 8 so we have a lot of football left to be played. The Chiefs also have a fairly easy schedule coming up, as they'll host the Jets next week, travel to Atlanta, and then host the Cardinals. Then, of course, comes the Thanksgiving showdown against the Bills.
The point being, yes, the Chiefs are currently not leading the division and would be a wild card team but there's a long season ahead. Buckle up.
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