Welcome to the inaugural NFL playoff picture preview where we’ll start to take a look at teams and their path to the playoffs as the season approaches its climax. Specifically, we’ll list the teams currently in the playoffs and what seed they currently are and if they can move up or out of a playoff berth.
Click here for the NFC Playoff Picture
NFL Playoff Picture: AFC Week 12
The Current Seedings
- New England Patriots (9-1)
- Baltimore Ravens (8-2)
- Kansas City Chiefs (7-4)
- Indianapolis Colts (6-4)
- Buffalo Bills (7-3)
- Houston Texans (6-4)
How They Got There
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots have the No. 1 seed in the AFC due to their 9-1 record which lists them as the best in the conference record-wise and the first team to hit nine wins. With a number of teams on their heels, the Patriots can’t afford too many losses. Even a second loss and a Baltimore win would swap them out of the No. 1 seed.
The Patriots have a favorable schedule that does feature the Kansas City Chiefs, but outside of that, the majority of the teams are below .500. New England is no stranger to first-round byes and appears to be on their way towards another one.
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens have emerged as a direct competitor to New England due to their head-to-head victory this season. Lamar Jackson and company have hit their stride and opposing teams have had little success against them. Which is why seeding could be huge depending on where they finish.
Currently, they’re the No. 2 seed in the AFC and should they finish tied with the Patriots at season’s end, then they’ll leapfrog into the No. 1 seed — assuming things stay as they are. Still, playing at M&T Bank Stadium could be an impossible task come playoff time.
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs have not looked like the dominant team from a season ago when they were the No. 1 seed and had home-field advantage. Currently, as the No. 3 seed in the AFC, they have jeopardy in securing that spot as the season moves closer to the finale.
While it’s too early still to say how they’ll fair, they do have the Oakland Raiders nipping at their heels which could knock them out of the division lead and into a wild card spot. These final weeks will tell us just how the Chiefs’ season will unfold.
Indianapolis Colts
The NFL’s cinderella team continues to have an impressive season in the now post-Andrew Luck era. With the AFC South more-or-less becoming a two-team race between them and the Houston Texans, the Colts have played sound football all season — which includes a win over the Texans.
They’ll have a huge question mark to deal with regarding the health of running back Marlon Mack — who has been a huge part of their success. Still, the Colts can gain a ton of ground and oversee the Chiefs for the No. 3 seed. They’ll still play in Wild Card Weekend, but they won’t be traveling to the No. 1 seed, at least.
Buffalo Bills
The first Wild Card spot is currently occupied by the Buffalo Bills — who remain one of the under-the-radar teams in the AFC. They’ve been consistently good this season — outside of a loss to the Patriots and headscratchers to the Philadelphia Eagles and Cleveland Browns. Josh Allen has to be the guy to take over a game in the playoffs for this team to truly get somewhere.
They’re loaded on defense and John Brown has been one of the best receivers this season. But their Achilles Heel is that they’re young and inexperienced. Which could spell disaster once the playoffs begin? It’s not likely that they’ll catch New England in the division, so, they’ll have to get used to playing on the road in a tough environment with the season on the line. The life of a Wild Card team is not easy.
Oakland Raiders
The one team that continues to gain traction each week has been the Oakland Raiders. They were a Kansas City loss away from being tied for first place in the AFC West. With a huge game coming up between the two on Dec. 1, the Raiders are one of the few teams that control their destiny.
Currently, as the second Wild Card team, the Raiders have a chance to overtake the Chiefs for the division lead in the coming weeks. Should they end up a Wild Card by season’s end, this is still a team that shouldn’t be taken lightly. They run the ball with the rest of them with Josh Jacobs and Derek Carr has thrown the rock well, of late. They’re dangerous and they’ll pose a threat to whomever they end up playing.
NFL Playoff Picture: Which Seeds Could Be on the Move?
Entering Week 12, there’s already a number of seeded movements we can potentially have. Both New England and Baltimore are in action in Week 12 that will factor in their seeding. Should New England and Baltimore both win, then things will stay as they are.
However, a New England loss to the Dallas Cowboys and a Baltimore win over the Los Angeles Rams would propel Baltimore into the No. 1 seed.
The Chiefs are idle this week due to their bye week which puts them in momentarily danger of falling out of the No. 3 seed should the Colts beat the Texans on Thursday Night Football. Conversely, the game between the Colts and Texans will put the winner into the driver’s seat in the AFC South and the other into the pool of Wild Card teams.
Buffalo will remain in the pool of wild card teams with a win or loss and Oakland with a win can tie for the division lead with Kansas, but ultimately remain a Wild Card team due to Kansas City having the better divisional record.
Click here for the NFC Playoff Picture
Main photo:
Embed from Getty Images
