One week remains in the 2023 NFL season and five AFC teams are still vying for the playoffs. After Week 17’s action, the Baltimore Ravens locked up the top seed and the AFC North, the Kansas City Chiefs won the AFC West, the Cleveland Browns secured the five seed, and the Miami Dolphins have secured at least a Wild Card bid.
The AFC East and AFC South crowns are up for grabs. Miami and the Buffalo Bills will duke it out for the crown and the Jacksonville Jaguars, Indianapolis Colts, and Houston Texans have paths to winning the division.
There is so much to play for in the NFL’s final week and the NFL odds to make the playoffs are all over the place. Let’s dive into the odds for each of the five remaining teams to make the NFL Playoffs.
AFC Playoff Odds for Remaining Teams
Buffalo Bills
Win Division (-158); Make Playoffs (-620)
Few teams in the NFL are as hot as the Bills. Since its Week 13 bye, Buffalo has rattled off four straight wins, two of which were against top playoff-bound teams.
It all comes down to Week 18 for the Bills. Win and they’re in. Lose and they’re likely in but there is still a path where a 10-7 Bills team missed out on the playoffs. This week, they travel to the Miami Dolphins (+132 to win). Miami is coming off of a demoralizing beatdown at the hands of the AFC’s best Ravens team, 56-16. The Dolphins will be looking to win its first AFC East title since 2008 (and second time since 2000).
Meanwhile, the Bills, led by MVP darkhorse Josh Allen, are looking to record a four-peat. Either way, the winner of this one will win their 14th-ever AFC East title.
Buffalo won round one, 48-20.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Win Division (-198); Make Playoffs (-265)
In what looked like it was going to be a run-away, the Jacksonville Jaguars have stumbled down the stretch. To kick off the year, the Jags started off 1-2. Then, they got a little mojo from playing back-to-back overseas and rattled off seven wins in eight games. It looked like Jacksonville was going to run away with a weak AFC South.
Then, they dropped four in a row before beating the NFL’s worst team in the Panthers in Week 17. The health of Trevor Lawrence was a massive part of the Jaguars downfall and he’s a game-time decision against the last-place Titans.
“Just get in” is a popular mantra and, after last year’s miracle come-from-behind win, nobody would take the Jaguars for granted. However, bet wisely. Missing Lawrence may not be a death knell to the Jaguars’ hopes. However, anything can happen in a divisional game.
Jaguars won round one in Jacksonville, 34-14.
Houston Texans
Win Division (+410); Make Playoffs (-122)
Perhaps the biggest surprise of the 2023 season is the Houston Texans. Last year, they finished as the second-worst team in terms of record and stuck with their second-overall pick. With it, they took Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud. Then, they traded up from the 12th pick (that they got for the Deshaun Watson Trade) and took Alabama’s Will Anderson, Jr.
The rest has been history.
Stroud is the odds-on favorite to win Offensive Rookie of the Year and Anderson has the second-best odds to win Defensive Rookie of the Year. It’d be the second consecutive year that the Rookies of the Year came from the same team.
Houston has the Colts for the chance to keep divisional hopes alive as the game is played prior to the Jaguars-Titans game.
The Texans fell to the Colts in Week 2 at home, 31-20. A lot has changed since then.
Indianapolis Colts
Win Division (+440); Make Playoffs (-102)
One of the many teams to have to shelve its Week 1 starting quarterback, the Indianapolis Colts have a shot to do something few expected.
Replacing rookie phenom Anthony Richardson was going to be difficult but Gardner Minshew has stepped up. In their last eight games, the Colts have won six. And, despite an inexplicable loss to the Falcons, they remain well-entrenched in the playoff fight.
Zack Moss and Michael Pittman, Jr. have had breakout campaigns and have been massive reasons for the Colts’ success.
As mentioned above, the Colts won in Week 2 in Houston.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Make Playoffs (+122)
Finally, hailing from the best division in football, the third-place Pittsburgh Steelers, despite everything, still have a legitimate shot.
Once again, Mike Tomlin will finish with a winning record. His team coasted to a 6-3 start and after an unenthusiastic loss to the Browns, he fired embattled offensive coordinator, Matt Canada.
This year, with Canada, the Steelers averaged 16.6 points and 280 yards per game. In the six games since, they’ve averaged 20.2 points and 347.2 yards per game. They’ve eclipsed 400 yards on offense twice in that span. Prior to the first instance, Pittsburgh had gone since Week 2 of the 2020 season without doing so.
In the last two weeks, the Steelers have scored at least 30 points in each game and the offense has seemingly found its stride.
Pittsburgh faces a Ravens team that has locked everything up and will be sending some starters on two-week vacations. They need a little help but with a win on Saturday night, the Steelers could find their way into the playoffs yet again.
Pittsburgh won at home in Week 5 against the Ravens, 17-10.
Main Image: Jamie Germano/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK / USA TODAY NETWORK
