Week 17 is set to conclude on Monday night when the Buffalo Bills take on the Cincinnati Bengals in the biggest game of the week. The Bills and Bengals are two of the top three seeds in the AFC, and this game will have huge repercussions for the AFC playoff picture. So with every other game from Week 17 in the books, let's take a look at the AFC playoff picture as is and see how Week 17's Monday night game could impact the current seeding situation.
1. Kansas City Chiefs (13-3, AFC West champion)
It wasn't necessarily as easy as it was expected to be, but the Kansas City Chiefs managed to get through a potential trap game in Week 17 against the Denver Broncos. They have taken over the top seed for now, but would fall back down to the second seed if the Bills win on Monday night. If the Bengals win, though, they would hold onto the top seed, and only have to beat the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 18 to officially clinch the number one spot in the AFC playoff picture.
2. Buffalo Bills (12-3, AFC East AFC East champion)
The Bills don't look to be in a great spot right now, but they still control their own destiny heading into Monday night. Granted, beating a scorching hot Bengals team is going to be easier said than done, but if the Bills win this game, they will go back into first and only have to beat the New England Patriots in Week 18 to clinch the top seed. But if they lose to the Bengals, they would drop down to the third seed and have no control over whether they could move back up the standings in the AFC playoff picture.
3. Cincinnati Bengals (11-4, 1st in AFC North)
The Monday night contest is big for the Bills, but it means even more for the Bengals. Not only could Cincinnati move themselves into the second seed, keeping their hopes of clinching the top seed alive, by beating Buffalo, but they would also officially clinch their division with a win as well. If the Bengals lose, they would remain in the third seed, but it would set up a tough Week 18 matchup against the Baltimore Ravens that would decide who wins the AFC North.
4. Jacksonville Jaguars (8-8, 1st in AFC South)
The Jacksonville Jaguars have gotten hot at the perfect time, winning their last four contests to take control of the AFC South. Despite that, everything comes down to Week 18 for the Jags, as the winner of their contest against the Tennessee Titans will win the division. Even if they lose, Jacksonville could technically sneak into the final wild card spot, but they would need the Patriots, Miami Dolphins, and Pittsburgh Steelers to all lose, although that's not as unlikely as it may seem.
5. Los Angeles Chargers (10-6, 2nd in AFC West)
The Los Angeles Chargers clinched a wild card spot with an easy Week 17 win over the Los Angeles Rams, and don't have much left to play for in Week 18. Winning would ensure that they would stay in the five seed and have a favorable matchup against the winner of the AFC South in the wild card round, but even if they lose, the Ravens would have to beat the Bengals in Week 18 to move ahead of them. So right now, it's looking very likely the Chargers will end up as the five seed in the AFC.
6. Baltimore Ravens (10-6, 2nd in AFC North)
The Ravens are continuing to fall apart in the AFC North, and will now be rooting for the Bills on Monday night. The Ravens are still alive in the AFC North race right now, but that would change if the Bengals beat the Bills as we already mentioned. Baltimore still will have something to play for in Week 18, as they will want to try to move up into the five seed, but their hopes of winning the division could be extinguished on Monday.
7. New England Patriots (8-8, 2nd in AFC East)
It's never been pretty, but the Patriots are still in the thick of the race for the final AFC wild card spot. It's pretty straightforward for New England; if they win in Week 18, they will be the seven seed in the AFC. The problem is that the Pats will be playing a Bills team that will have something to play for in this one, meaning there's a very good chance they lose. If that happens, New England could still sneak into the playoffs if the Dolphins and Steelers lose, while the Jaguars beat the Titans.
8. Miami Dolphins (8-8, 3rd in AFC East)
The Dolphins aren't exactly in a great spot heading into Week 18, as they could need their third-string quarterback Skylar Thompson to try to lead them into the playoffs. With Tua Tagovailoa dealing with a concussion, and Teddy Bridgewater dislocating his pinky in Week 17, Thompson could have a huge task on his shoulders. The good news is that the Patriots likely don't stand a good chance of beating the Bills, so all it may take for the Dolphins is to beat the Jets in Week 18 to get into the playoffs.
9. Pittsburgh Steelers (8-8, 3rd in AFC North)
The Pittsburgh Steelers kept their playoff hopes alive in Week 17 by pulling off a last-second victory over the Ravens, but they still need a lot to go their way in order for them to sneak into the playoffs. They would need to beat the Cleveland Browns, who finally looked like they figured things out on offense in Week 18, and have the Patriots and Dolphins lose. As we have mentioned previously, that's not totally out of the picture, so the Steelers certainly are a team to watch in the final week of the season.
10. Tennessee Titans (7-9, 2nd in AFC South)
The Titans are technically the 11th seed in the AFC right now, but considering how the tenth seed in the Jets are eliminated, we will make Tennessee the ten seed for clarity's sake here. The Titans have only one way to make it into the playoffs, and it involves beating Jacksonville in Week 18. That would allow them to go all the way from the 11th seed to the fourth seed, which is quite a leap up the standings. The problem is the Titans are very banged up, and considering how good the Jags have looked lately, the odds are stacked against them here.
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