What AFC Playoff scenarios are in play for the Week 15 slate of the 2020 season?
It feels as if the 2020 NFL season just began but we have just three weeks left before the NFL Playoffs arrive. And with that, that means every game means more with postseason implications for all the teams still in the hunt. Wins and losses both mean more. And that’s evident when you start to highlight the AFC Playoff scenarios entering Week 15.
Last week, the Kansas City Chiefs stayed with their winning ways — albeit while staving off a Dolphins comeback attempt — while the Pittsburgh Steelers fell once again, this time to Buffalo. This not only gave the Chiefs the No. 1 seed in the AFC Playoff picture for now but it also put the Bills just one game back of Pittsburgh while owning the head-to-head tiebreaker.
While nothing in the Wild Card race is fully going to be decided during Week 15, there are plenty of things still at play. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the AFC Playoff scenarios that are in play for Week 15.
Week 15 AFC Playoff scenarios
The Chiefs have already clinched the AFC West with their win over Miami last week but two other teams have that opportunity in Week 15. If the chips fall right, both the Bills and Steelers can clinch the AFC East and AFC North, respectively, this week.
For the Bills, they can clinch the division with:
- A win over Denver
- A Miami loss
- OR a tie for both Miami and Buffalo.
Moreover, the Bills can also clinch a playoff berth with a loss by the Ravens this week. As for the Steelers, they’ve already clinched a playoff berth of their own but can win the AFC North with:
- A win over Cincinnati
- A Cleveland loss
- OR a tie for both Pittsburgh and Cleveland.
Outside of those two teams, the Chiefs do have something at stake this week when they face off with the New Orleans Saints in the marquee game of the week. With a win, a Steelers loss and loss or tie from the Bills, Kansas City would clinch the No. 1 seed in the AFC Playoffs.
Not to be left out in the cold, the Titans also have something at stake. Tennessee can clinch a playoff berth in Week 15 with:
- A win over Detroit and a Baltimore loss
- OR a win over Detroit, a Las Vegas loss or tie, a Miami loss and a Cleveland win or tie
- OR a win over Detroit, a Las Vegas loss or tie, a Miami loss and Tennessee or Cleveland clinches strength of victory tiebreaker over Miami.
There is also plenty at stake in the AFC Wild Card race as the Colts, Browns, Raiders, Ravens and Dolphins all vie for the three spots available. Make no mistake, the AFC Playoff scenarios are worth keeping in mind as we head into Week 15 as the postseason picture is now being determined with the outcome of every game.