There are already two AFC division winners with one game remaining in Week 14 of the 2024 NFL season.
The Kansas City Chiefs won yet another close game on Sunday night, this time recording a 19-17 victory over the LA Chargers to win the AFC West divisional title for the ninth consecutive season. The Chiefs are aiming to claim the No. 1 seed in the AFC, so even though they already guaranteed a postseason berth last week, their most recent victory was significant.
There were few noticeable movements following the most recent round of games, but overall, the AFC playoff picture hasn’t changed much from last week.
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AFC playoff picture heading into Week 15
Bills’ Week 14 loss hurts their No. 1 AFC bid
The Buffalo Bills’ stunning loss to the LA Rams at SoFi Stadium on Sunday afternoon increased the Kansas City Chiefs’ prospects of earning the No. 1 seed in the AFC. Buffalo’s chances of becoming the top seed substantially decreased after that 44-42 loss, while the Chiefs’ prospects increased considerably.
After the defeat, the Bills dropped to 10-3 for the season, while the Chiefs defeated the Chargers 19-17 on Sunday night to move up to 12-1.
The Chiefs can now secure the No. 1 spot and the conference’s postseason wildcard bye if they win three of their next four regular season games, even though the Bills still have the head-to-head tiebreaker advantage over Kansas City.
The Steelers extend their lead at the top of the AFC North standings
Quarterback Russell Wilson threw two touchdowns to help the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Cleveland Browns 27-14 on Sunday.
The Steelers knew heading into the game versus Cleveland that they would continue to lead the AFC North standings regardless of the outcome because the Baltimore Ravens were off in Week 14. But after the Browns had previously given them their lone AFC North defeat in Week 12, Pittsburgh must have felt vindicated following that victory.
The win also raised the Steelers’ season record to 10-3 and increased their lead over the Ravens (8-5) in the AFC North standings by two games with four contests to go.
Jets, Browns now eliminated from postseason contention
On Sunday, the Steelers defeated the Browns 27-14, preventing Cleveland from sweeping Pittsburgh for the first time since 1988. More significantly, the Browns were mathematically out of the running for the playoffs after that loss.
However, the Browns were not the only AFC team that got eliminated from postseason contention on Sunday. The New York Jets were also officially eliminated from playoff contention after losing to the Miami Dolphins 32-26 in overtime in Week 14.
In addition to having the longest ongoing postseason drought in the NFL, the Jets are currently experiencing the worst postseason drought in their history — 14 years. In fact, only five teams have gone longer years without playing in the postseason than the Jets in the Super Bowl era.
These longer slumps include the 20-year drought of the New Orleans Saints from 1967 to 1986, the 17-year drought of the Buffalo Bills from 2000 to 2016, the 17-year drought of the Cleveland Browns from 2003 to 2019, the 15-year drought of the New York Giants from 1966 to 1980, and the 15-year drought of the Arizona Cardinals from 1983 to 1997.
Overview of AFC playoff picture after Week 14 (MNF to go)
1. Kansas City Chiefs (12-1) – First-round bye
2. Buffalo Bills (10-3)
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-3)
4. Houston Texans (8-5)
5. Baltimore Ravens (8-5)
6. Los Angeles Chargers (8-5)
7. Denver Broncos (8-5)
Currently out of playoff spots
8. Indianapolis Colts (6-7)
9. Miami Dolphins (6-7)
10. Cincinnati Bengals (4-8)
11. Cleveland Browns (3-10) – Eliminated
12. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-10) – Eliminated
13. Tennessee Titans (3-10) – Eliminated
14. New York Jets (3-10) – Eliminated
15. New England Patriots (3-10) – Eliminated
16. Las Vegas Raiders (2-11) – Eliminated
Edited by R. Elahi
