2024 AFC Playoff Race: Bills and Chiefs look down on conference entering Week 11

There are only eight weeks left in the NFL season. Here is how the AFC playoff race looks heading into Week 11.

Ronnie Eastham | Nov 14, 2024

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Buffalo Bills | News, Scores, Schedules & Standings

The NFL playoffs are just two months away, and we have a handful of teams in the AFC that are all but locks. The Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs both have a 99% chance of making the playoffs, regardless of who wins this weekend's showdown. The media will make this into a much bigger game than it actually is; seeding is important in securing postseason home games, but if you're truly a Super Bowl-caliber team, where you play shouldn't determine whether you win. We've seen the Bills do well against the Chiefs in past regular seasons only to still lose in the playoffs, both on the road and at home. At the moment, the playoffs and getting healthy are the only things that matter, and that goes for both the Chiefs and the Bills.

The rest of the conference is looking up to the Bills and Chiefs, but the Pittsburgh Steelers are right there within striking distance of the top seed and will be rooting for the Bills to bring the Chiefs down a little closer. The Houston Texans have lost back-to-back games, but the AFC South is the weakest division in the conference, and Houston should have no problem securing that division crown. The Steelers and Baltimore Ravens will battle it out for the AFC North and either could come out on top.

With that, here's a look at the AFC standings entering Week 11.

2024 NFL Playoffs: In the Hunt

1. Kansas City Chiefs (9-0)

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Kansas City found a way to come away victorious against the Broncos despite being outplayed. The Chiefs are unbeaten, but they are beatable. Will the Bills hand them their first loss of the season? It's a long shot still, but if Kansas City takes out the Bills, we might see the Chiefs head into the playoffs undefeated.

2. Buffalo Bills (8-2)

A win against the Chiefs makes things much more interesting in the race for the postseason's top seed. Still, Buffalo will face the 49ers, Lions, and Rams over the next three games. Wrestling the top seed away from the Chiefs won't be easy, even with a win, but a victory would significantly aid in maintaining Buffalo's lead over the rest of the conference for the No. 2 seed and would bring it nearer to clinching the division title. The hope is that the Bills can secure a quasi-bye and rest players during that final Week 18 game, which could be very beneficial.

3. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-2)

The Steelers are the quietest 7-2 team in the league. With all the national chatter surrounding the Bills and Chiefs, Pittsburgh is quietly stacking wins. It leads its division, but it's just one game ahead of the Ravens. Surprisingly, we haven't heard more about the showdown between the Steelers and Ravens this weekend. If not for the Bills and Chiefs matchup, the Steelers vs. Ravens game would be all the talk.

4. Houston Texans (6-4)

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The Texans don't have any competition in the AFC South, with the nearest team being the Colts at 4-6 (they already have two losses against the Texans). The rest of the division includes the Jaguars and Titans. The only real question is where in the top four of the seeding will they end up. Having beaten the Bills, they own that tiebreaker, and they face the Chiefs and Ravens later in the season.

5. Baltimore Ravens (7-3)

The Ravens are considered by many to be one of the better teams in the league despite sitting behind the Steelers in the AFC North. If they are the better team, they'll have a chance to prove it this weekend, with the winner of their Week 11 bout taking over the top spot in the division and moving that much closer to a playoff spot.

6. Los Angeles Chargers (6-3)

In our weekly analytical power rankings, the Chargers ranked second in the AFC. Are the Chargers that good, are they a legitimate threat to Kansas City? They lost to the Chiefs back in Week 4, 17 - 10. They'll face each other again in Week 14. Depending on how things go down this weekend with the Chiefs, the Chargers could find themselves in the mix for the division after Week 14.

7. Denver Broncos (5-5)

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The Broncos had an excellent chance to defeat the Chiefs but failed to convert a last-second field goal. Denver's current playoff chances stand at 51%, but a loss this weekend would decrease their odds to 39%, while a victory would increase them to 61%. The Colts and Bengals will be big supporters of the Falcons this weekend when they take on the Broncos.

2024 NFL Playoffs: On the Outside

The Chiefs did a favor for the Colts and Bengals in defeating the Broncos; however, neither could take advantage of that, losing their respective game. Miami made up a little ground though with its win against the Rams, getting a little closer to that last wildcard spot. Is it crazy to think Miami can climb all the way back? We saw the Dolphins blow a three-game lead in the division and lose it to the Bills last year. With the Broncos, Colts, and Bengals losing, will any of these four teams take charge, string some wins together, and put some distance between them and the rest?