Dec 21, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) calls a play at the line during the first quarter against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Those are all the AFC playoff scenarios. They’re nowhere close to as complicated as last years. I promised complete playoff predictions, so I’ll go through every game with a playoff team or potential playoff team, pick the winner, and see who’s in the playoffs.
New England Patriots vs. Buffalo Bills
I’ll take New England at home. This game is meaningless anyway, as New England has already locked up the first seed and Buffalo is out of the playoff picture. That loss to Oakland hurts badly. Winner: New England.
Denver Broncos vs. Oakland Raiders
Denver must be motivated to lock up a first-round bye after a miserable performance in Cincinnati, outside of the third quarter. I know Oakland beat a resurgent Bills team, but the Broncos are essentially playing a playoff game, as Peyton Manning would say. Give me Denver at home by at least two touchdowns. Winner: Denver.
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cincinnati Bengals
While I would have wanted to see Green Bay vs. Detroit on Sunday Night Football to end the season, I’ll settle for this AFC matchup. This is a tough game to call – Pittsburgh has been playing well as of late and the Bengals seem to have rewritten the narrative about primetime games with a signature win against Denver. I don’t like the Bengals coming off a short week and on the road. They’ll probably have a better gameplan to contain Le’Veon Bell, but I see the Steelers taking the AFC North. Winner: Pittsburgh.
Indianapolis Colts vs. Tennessee Titans
The Colts will get the 4th seed no matter what – if Pittsburgh wins and improves to 11-5 and the Colts do so as well, Pittsburgh will have a better seed because it won its head-to-head matchup with Indianapolis. And although the Colts beat the Bengals, Cincinnati would end up half a game ahead of Indy. With all that said, Indianapolis should still beat Tennessee handily. Winner: Indianapolis.
San Diego Chargers vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Making the playoffs is simple for San Diego: win and in. That’s easier said than done, however. San Diego hasn’t exactly been impressive against teams over .500 right now – yes, they beat Seattle in Week 2, but that Seahawks team looks miles behind the team that’s playing right now; they beat Baltimore but had to be bailed out by a last-minute, controversial pass interference call. The Bills are likely to end at 8-8, and they will according to my above prediction. The over-.500 teams the Chargers have lost to: Arizona, Kansas City, Miami, New England, and Denver (twice).
Meanwhile, the Chiefs beat the Seahawks, who were coming off a three-game win streak, and have defeated Miami and New England soundly. Kansas City has one of the best home-field advantages at Arrowhead Stadium, and I think they’ll take care of business against San Diego in what should be a close game. Winner: Kansas City.
Baltimore Ravens vs. Cleveland Browns
The Ravens are desperate for a win and the Browns are reeling. Cleveland will suffer yet another losing season. Winner: Baltimore.
Houston Texans vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Bill O’Brien should be a serious Coach of the Year candidate. His team is likely to end up at 9-7, after going through a quarterback carousel with Ryan Fitzpatrick, Ryan Mallett, and Case Keenum. I expect Houston to beat Jacksonville, but it might not be enough to make the postseason, as the Texans need a lot of help. Winner: Houston.
With those predictions, the AFC playoffs will look like this.
1. New England Patriots (13-3)
2. Denver Broncos (12-4)
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (11-5)
4. Indianapolis Colts (11-5)
5. Cincinnati Bengals (10-5-1)
6. Baltimore Ravens (10-6)
A few things changed from the current standings: Baltimore is in the playoffs over San Diego, and Pittsburgh and Cincinnati trade places after Pittsburgh wins the North.