The AFC playoff picture was fun to watch in Week 16. The Cleveland Browns moved to 10-5 with a dominant victory over the Houston Texans, the Pittsburgh Steelers rebounded with a huge win over the rival Cincinnati Bengals and the Las Vegas Raiders avoided elimination with an upset victory over the Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas Day.
Buckle up, because these final two weeks of the regular season are going to be incredible. Let’s take a look at the AFC playoff picture as it stands now. Below, we will power rank the eight teams still in playoff contention that are battling for wild card spots, and attempt to predict the final playoff picture.
Playoff simulation percentages via SportsLine
Division leaders
- Baltimore Ravens (AFC North, 12-3)
- Miami Dolphins (AFC East, 11-4)
- Kansas City Chiefs (AFC West, 9-6)
- Jacksonville Jaguars (AFC South, 8-7)
Eliminated
Wild card contenders
8. Denver Broncos (7-8)
Losing to the 3-11 Patriots on your home field on Christmas Eve as a playoff hopeful? Yikes. I know Denver put together a 16-point fourth quarter, but it still wasn’t enough. Sean Payton is making some curious decisions regarding play-calling and timeout usage, and I don’t have much faith in Russell Wilson. Then there’s the issue of the defense, which has allowed 34.0 points per game over the last two games after allowing 15.6 points per game in the previous seven contests.
Remaining schedule: vs. Chargers, at Raiders
Playoff chances: 1.4%
Final projection: 8-9, miss playoffs
7. Las Vegas Raiders (7-8)
How about these Raiders? Interim head coach Antonio Pierce led this group into Arrowhead on Christmas Day, and upset Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs on national TV. Pierce may be back on the Raiders sideline as lead man in 2024.
The Raiders offense didn’t look great with 205 total yards while Aidan O’Connell completed just 9 of 21 passes, but Zamir White did explode for 145 rushing yards with Josh Jacobs out. It was the Raiders defense that impressed, as the unit scored two defensive touchdowns on BACK-TO-BACK plays! That was the difference in the game. Vegas actually became the first team to score two defensive touchdowns in back-to-back games since the 2012 Patriots.
Have you noticed that Pierce is doing a tremendous job with this Raiders defense? They held the Dolphins out of the end zone in the second half back in Week 11, held the Minnesota Vikings to three points scored in Week 14 and…
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