AFC Playoff Picture Ahead of Week 17: Bengals, Ravens Clinch Spots

The Jaguars are in position to make the playoffs for the first time in five years.

With the Week 16 matchup between the Packers and Dolphins set, the AFC Playoff picture becomes clearer with just two weeks to go in the regular season. 

Here’s the AFC playoff picture ahead of Week 17: 

1. Bills (12–4): Buffalo already clinched a playoff spot and the AFC East crown, further exemplifying their dominance with a 35–13 win over the Bears on Christmas Eve. 

2. Chiefs (12–4): Kansas City also has their division locked up, but the team will look for more in the coming weeks. The Bills are the No. 1 seed in the AFC thanks to an October win over the Chiefs, giving them the tiebreaker. Kansas City will look to win out and hope Buffalo drops at least one more game to take the lead.

3. Bengals (11–4): Cincinnati locked up a playoff spot with a 22–18 win over the Patriots, but they still haven’t clinched the division. The Ravens also clinched a spot and are right behind them in the standings. 

4. Jaguars (7–8): Improbably, Jacksonville is somehow atop the AFC South and could very well return to the postseason for the first time since 2017. The Jaguars soundly beat the Jets 19–3 on Thursday Night Football, but they’re not out of the woods just yet. They’re tied with the Titans and will play their last game of the season against them. The matchup could very well decide the division. 

5. Ravens (10–5): A 17–9 win over the Falcons saw the Ravens earn a playoff spot for the fourth time in the last five years but they won’t be satisfied with that. Baltimore is one game behind Cincinnati in the standings but won the first key matchup between the two in October. If the Ravens win next week and the Bengals lose, then their Week 18 matchup will decide who wins the division. 

6. Chargers (8–7): No matter what happens on their Monday night matchup with the Colts, Los Angeles’s position at the No. 6 seed will not change. 

Update: The Chargers clinched a playoff spot with a 20–3 win over the Colts on Monday night. It will be their first postseason appearance since 2018.

7. Dolphins (8–7): Miami just couldn’t get it done against the Packers on Christmas Day and lost 26–20 largely in part because of Tua Tagovailoa’s three interceptions. They have a narrow lead on the rest of the field and will look to end their four-game skid against the Patriots in Week 17. 

In the Hunt:

Patriots (7–8)

Jets (7–8)

Titans (7–8)

Steelers (7–8)