The Week 17 AFC Playoff Picture presents a surprising and excellent opportunity for the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs have another chance to assert their stability.
There was still hope for the Kansas City Chiefs, who came into Week 16 as the AFC’s top playoff seed. But after losing to the Las Vegas Raiders on Christmas Day, those dreams are declared officially dead.
But that does not mean Andy Reid’s team’s season is finished. To begin with, Kansas City still has a lot to contend for in order to secure a postseason berth. The Chiefs can win an eighth straight AFC West championship and, for the second week in a row, punch their ticket to the postseason.
Which teams in the conference pose a threat to Kansas City as the postseason draws near? Which clubs could see growth or decline in the upcoming weeks? To find out, let us examine the Week 17 AFC playoff lineup.
Following a thrilling victory over the San Francisco 49ers, the Baltimore Ravens appear to be the greatest football team in the league at the moment. They have a quarterback who is a strong candidate for MVP, an excellent defense, and they have proven themselves in big games. This coming Sunday, when the Miami Dolphins visit town, there will be one last significant test. Lamar Jackson and company can secure the conference’s top overall seed with one week remaining if they win.
Week 17 is a huge chance for the Dolphins to make a statement as they are still in the running for the first overall seed. Although their aims remain unaffected by a Buffalo Bills defeat or tie, they may secure the AFC East title with a win or a tie. This season, one of the complaints leveled at Miami has been their incapacity to defeat formidable opponents. They can win versus Baltimore and silence those skeptics for the time being.
The Chiefs’ season has not gone well; although their defense is still capable of winning championships, the offense is still having trouble. Although the one-seed is unachievable, they can still finish as the second seed if they win two straight games and Miami loses two straight games. Regarding the division, all Kansas City needs to do this coming weekend is either win or draw, or witness the Los Angeles Raiders and Denver Broncos lose or draw.
Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars are just 2-5 in their past seven games after beginning the season 6-2. This includes a run of four consecutive losses during which Lawrence has sustained numerous injuries and the team has not looked particularly strong. A potential comeback is left open by the last games against the Tennessee Titans and Carolina Panthers. With a victory in Week 17 and defeats by the Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans, the Jaguars may secure the AFC South.
The Cleveland Browns are here despite having a quarterback situation that has been in disarray for the majority of the season and an offense that is not always the most reliable. Joe Flacco and company might secure a postseason berth this weekend if they can secure a straight-up victory or a number of other favorable outcomes. This week, when they play the New York Jets on Thursday Night Football, they might finish their win-and-in scenario before anybody else plays a play.
Almost everyone seems to be counting the Bills out a month ago. Their defense was severely injured, their head coach did not seem to have a strong hold on the club, and their offense was going through some hard patches. The latter is still true, but Buffalo has 14 different ways to secure a wild card berth this weekend. This is Josh Allen and company’s best chance to start the postseason as one of the most formidable opponents possible when they play the 4-11 New England Patriots on Sunday.
Entering Week 17, the New York Times playoff odds list gave Gardner Minshew and the Colts a 24% chance to win the AFC South, indicating that they are still very much in the hunt for the division title. There is a lot riding on each player’s shoulders as they play the Texans and Las Vegas Raiders back-to-back to end the week. Over the previous month, Indianapolis has fluctuated between wins and defeats; more consistency towards the end of the season is required for the playoffs to become a reality.
In related news, the Texans are aiming to have rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud return to the starting lineup this coming weekend following a brief hiatus. They still have some realistic prospects of making the playoffs and even winning their division if they can finish the year strong. The New York Times estimates that the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals, two fierce AFC North teams, have 12% and 19% of the probability, respectively, to make the playoffs.
