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The 2022 NFL season is flying by, and aside from tonight's Monday Night Football contest featuring the Indianapolis Colts and Pittsburgh Steelers, Week 12 is officially in the books. As we progress into the second half of the season, it's going to become more and more important to keep an eye on the playoff picture in each conference. In particular, the AFC playoff picture is looking quite crowded
Entering the season, the AFC was expected to be loaded with playoff caliber teams, and while that has been true, it hasn't been as competitive as was initially expected. Still, given the amount of ridiculously talented teams in the AFC, it's beginning to seem like the eventual Super Bowl champion may be in this conference.
With Week 12 nearly behind us now (the Colts and Steelers don't really factor into the playoff picture right now) it feels like a good time to see where the standings stand. Let's take a look at the current playoff picture in the AFC and see whether any changes should be expected over the next few weeks.
1. Kansas City Chiefs (9-2, 1st in AFC West)
The AFC West was supposed to be wildly competitive this season, but it's been business as usual for the Kansas City Chiefs to this point. They hold a comfortable lead in their division, and their divisional record gives them some leeway as the top seed in the AFC. They have a tough matchup in Week 13 against the Cincinnati Bengals, but after that, it should be smooth sailing for Kansas City.
2. Miami Dolphins (8-3, 1st in AFC East)
The Miami Dolphins continue to make a surprising charge for the AFC East crown, and their demolition of the Houston Texans proved once again they mean business. The Dolphins have a tough stretch of games to close out their season, but they should be favored to beat the San Francisco 49ers in Week 13, which would allow them to remain in the second seed for another week.
3. Tennessee Titans (7-4, 1st in AFC South)
Week 12 wasn't kind to the Tennessee Titans, as they suffered a tough loss to the Bengals and slipped a spot in the playoff picture. They still have no competition in the AFC South, but they could fall further if Cincinnati finds their way to the top of the AFC North now that they hold the head-to-head tiebreaker. Even then, the Titans have a tough Week 13 matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles, so their slide could end up continuing for another week.
4. Baltimore Ravens (7-4, 1st in AFC North)
The Baltimore Ravens missed a fantastic opportunity to jump up to the three seed and maintain their stranglehold atop the AFC North in Week 12. But they lost in the last minute to the Jacksonville Jaguars, and are now barely hanging onto the top spot in their division. Baltimore has a favorable Week 13 matchup against the Denver Broncos, but their margin for error has shrunk significantly.
5. Buffalo Bills (8-3, 2nd in AFC East)
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The Buffalo Bills barely escaped with a Thanksgiving victory over the Detroit Lions, but they have managed to stay neck-and-neck with the Dolphins to this point. Buffalo has the inside track to win their division considering their playoff pedigree, but they have to play four divisional contests before the end of the season, which could make winning the division more difficult than expected.
6. Cincinnati Bengals (7-4, 2nd in AFC North)
Given the fact the Bengals have a Week 13 matchup with the Chiefs, their game against the Titans in Week 12 was a must win. Even with key players such as Ja'Marr Chase and Joe Mixon out, Cincy grinded out a win. They have given themselves a bit of leeway now, which is good because they may ultimately end up coming up short against Kansas City this upcoming weekend.
7. New York Jets (7-4, 3rd in AFC East)
The New York Jets seemed to be floundering after their tough Week 11 loss to the New England Patriots, but Mike White provided the spark under center New York needed to bounce back. Their quarterback situation is worrying, though, and while they beat up a bad Chicago Bears team in Week 12, they may not have the same luck in Week 13 against the Minnesota Vikings.
8. New England Patriots (6-5, 4th in AFC East)
The Patriots played arguably their best offensive game of the season, but couldn't upset the Vikings on Thanksgiving night. They didn't have much margin for error to begin with, and a tough Week 13 matchup against the Bills could deal a serious blow to their playoff hopes. New England is going to need their offense to play like they did in Week 12 throughout the rest of the season if they want a shot at sneaking into the playoffs.
9. Los Angeles Chargers (6-5, 2nd in AFC West)
The Los Angeles Chargers were almost dealt a catastrophic loss to the Arizona Cardinals, but managed to sneak out a last second win to stay alive in the playoff hunt. The Chargers are getting healthy, and some of the teams ahead of them, such as the Patriots and Jets, will likely pick up a couple losses over the final six games, meaning L.A. still has a good shot at finding their way into the playoffs when all is said and done.
