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After Week 13 in the NFL, the AFC playoff picture now has two teams officially locked in. The Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills, the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds, are postseason bound. Buffalo has already clinched their division after a snowy affair against the 49ers, while Kansas City will have the chance to do the same this weekend when they host the Los Angeles Chargers in an AFC West matchup.
Elsewhere in the conference, the Pittsburgh Steelers continued their dominant season, further dismantling the Cincinnati Bengals' playoff hopes with a 44-38 shootout victory over their division rival. Cincinnati is now 4-8.
And don’t look now, but the Denver Broncos are starting to look like serious contenders. Following their Monday Night Football shootout win over the Cleveland Browns, Denver remains in control of the No. 7 seed.
With just five weeks left in the regular season, the pool of viable playoff teams is shrinking. This week, we're narrowing the focus to the top nine. So, with Week 13 in the books, let’s dive into how the rest of the AFC playoff picture is shaping up.
1. Kansas City Chiefs (11-1, 1st in AFC West)
The Chiefs are just one win away from clinching the AFC West for the ninth consecutive season. Their latest victory came in a Black Friday matchup against their division rival, the Las Vegas Raiders to at least punch their ticket to the postseason. The Chiefs edged out a 19-17 win, marking their ninth game this season decided by one score or less. Once again, Kansas City showed its ability to grind out close games and remain No. 1 in the AFC playoff picture.
2. Buffalo Bills (10-2, 1st in AFC East)
On Sunday night, the Bills appeared to be having the time of their lives as they routed a battered San Francisco 49ers team at home. Between Josh Allen showcasing his creativity in finding new ways to score touchdowns and players making snow angels on the field, it was a fun night to be in Buffalo.
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (9-3, 1st in AFC North)
Russell Wilson delivered arguably the best performance of his career, throwing for 414 yards and three touchdowns, helping to solidify the Steelers' position in the top three of the AFC playoff picture. Pittsburgh's impressive showing came at the expense of their AFC North rival, the Bengals, further eliminating Cincinnati's playoff hopes in the process.
4. Houston Texans (8-5, 1st in AFC South)
Heading into their bye week, the Texans desperately needed some momentum after dropping four of their last six games. They managed to get it, albeit narrowly, by holding off a late Jaguars rally attempt to secure a 23-20 victory. Houston still has plenty to clean up before returning to action in Week 15.
5. Los Angeles Chargers (8-4, 2nd in AFC West)
The Chargers climbed a spot in this week's AFC playoff picture, not just due to their win over the Atlanta Falcons but also thanks to the Ravens' loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. It wasn't a pretty victory for Los Angeles, as they were outperformed in most statistical categories. However, Kirk Cousins' four interceptions—one of which was a pick-six and two more on the Falcons' final two fourth-quarter drives—proved pivotal in sealing the win for the Chargers.
6. Baltimore Ravens (8-5, 2nd in AFC North)
The Ravens have now dropped two of their last three games, with the latest coming in Week 13 against one of the NFL's best, the Eagles, at home in Baltimore. Justin Tucker's continued struggles this season played a role in the loss, as the Ravens fell to the No. 6 seed in the AFC playoff picture. However, they still hold the tiebreaker over the Broncos due to their head-to-head win percentage, per ESPN.
7. Denver Broncos (8-5, 3rd in AFC West)
In his first Monday Night Football appearance, rookie quarterback Bo Nix delivered a solid, if not always polished, performance. He completed 18-of-35 passes for 294 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. While it wasn’t perfect, Nix, combined with an opportunistic Broncos defense, continues to help put Denver in position to win games.
8. Indianapolis Colts, 6-7, 2nd in AFC South)
The Colts needed two Anthony Richardson touchdown passes and a clutch rushing score with just 12 seconds left to secure a narrow 25-24 victory over the New England Patriots. It wasn’t pretty, but a win is a win, and Indianapolis isn’t out of the AFC playoff picture just yet.
9. Miami Dolphins (5-7, 2nd in AFC East)
The Miami Dolphins drop to the No. 9 seed in the AFC playoff picture after their 30-17 road loss to the Green Bay Packers. The defeat wasn’t entirely surprising, as the Dolphins have historically struggled to adapt to cooler weather conditions. Now teetering on the edge of playoff contention, Miami's margin for error is razor-thin. If they hope to secure one of the top seven spots, they'll likely need to win out over the final stretch of the regular season
