Let’s check the pulse on the AFC Playoff Picture and AFC Wild Card standings after the Titans passed the Chiefs in Week 8.
Now that eight weeks into the season, it appears that the image of the NFL game on the AFC side is starting to focus.
There is still a lot of football to be played, but any small movement is starting to become more important. For example, the Kansas City Chiefs had a farewell week on Sunday, but fell into the Asian FA Playoffs thanks to the Tennessee Titans’ win.
It’s probably a temporary change rather than a shift in power, but anything that happens with bosses and titans does so in a vacuum. Currently, the AFC belongs to the Buffalo Bills, and the dominant performance on Sunday night reinforces that notion.
The AFC is pretty heavy, with the Baltimore Ravens being the fourth best team and they’re starting to make a big splash. They’ll always play Ravens Football – which often involves a lot of weird stuff – but John Harpo has made Baltimore a team to worry about, and the better Lamar Jackson is that scares the whole unit.
The AFC play-off picture has been updated after Week 8
Here’s why it’s important for the Chiefs to fall into the AFC supplement picture: Next week the second seed in the conference will be on the line. The Titans were expected to beat Houston on Sunday, but Tennessee and Kansas City draw at Sunday Night Football next weekend.
With both teams winning 5-2, that match will be a very important tiebreak that could come into play later in the year. Kansas City has already lost a tiebreak to the Buffalo Bills and will dig itself into a hole if it loses another.
However, the deciding picture at the AFC Championships is bigger than that of the Chiefs and Titans. With the win in Detroit, the Miami Dolphins bounced back and are back in the picture. Cincinnati could move into the No. 7 seed with a win on Monday Night Football and keep the New England Patriots on the cusp of the bubble.
Here’s what the AFC qualifying bracket would look like if the post-season started today:
- Buffalo Bills (5-1)
- Tennessee Titans (5-2)
- Kansas City Chiefs (5-2)
- Baltimore Ravens (5-3)
- New York Jets (5-3)
- Miami Dolphins (5-3)
- Los Angeles Chargers (4-3)
Based on these arrangements, here’s what the playoff matches will look like in the first weekend of the event:
- (2) Tennessee Titans vs (7) Cincinnati Bengals
- (3) Kansas City Chiefs vs (6) Miami Dolphins
- (4) Baltimore Ravens vs (5) New York Jets
AFC Wild Card standings after Week 7 (Updated after Sunday Night Football)
Down the fold of the AFC Playoff Picture, the Cincinnati Bengals are back in the mix. The Super Bowl runners-up got off to a rough start to the year but dominated the Atlanta Falcons in Week Seven, a performance that seemed to suggest offense is awake. Joe Burrow looks like the MVP nominee he was in 2021 and the Bengals seem to have gotten rid of Super Bowl hangovers – for now.
Cincinnati got some help from the team that beat him in the playoffs last year. Tennessee State swinging on the Colts knocked Indianapolis out of the final game picture right now and opened up the way for teams like Miami and New England to jump on them.
For now, here’s what the Wild Card standings will look like after week seven:
Fifth seed: New York Jets (5-3)
Sixth pill: Miami Dolphins (5-3)
Seventh seed: Los Angeles Chargers (4-3)
on the bubble
Cincinnati Bengals (4-3)
New England Patriots (4-4)
Indianapolis Colts (3-4-1)
in pursuit
Denver Broncos (3-5)
Las Vegas Raiders (2-5)
Cleveland Browns (2-5)
Jacksonville Jaguars (2-6)
Pittsburgh Steelers (2-6)
Houston Texans (1-5-1)
AFC play-off scenarios
With so many teams tied in the standings, few play the tiebreak based on various factors related to the schedule.
- The Ravens win the tiebreak over Cincinnati based on head-to-head win percentage.
- The Bengals holds the Miami tiebreak based on a head-to-head win percentage.
- The Dolphins carry the tiebreak over New England based on their head-to-head win percentage.
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