After another win over the Carolina Panthers, the Denver Broncos improved to 7-2 on the season heading into their bye week. With this win, the Broncos continue to lead the AFC West, and with the Buffalo Bills losing on Monday Night Football against the Minnesota Vikings, they can take the No. 1 seed and control the AFC.
The top four teams stayed the same this week, but that could change if the Bills lose tomorrow night. The Jacksonville Jaguars won on Thursday Night while the Pittsburgh Steelers enjoyed their bye week off. In the wild card, the Kansas City Chiefs ended their losing streak while the Cincinnati Bengals stayed hot. However, the New England Patriots have imploded and fallen to 5-4 on the year and have several teams on their heels looking to make the postseason.
Another loss for the Cleveland Browns is that they have free fall; The Las Vegas Raiders lost again, but continue to be a tough team, while the Baltimore Ravens will look to stay in talks with Jacoby Brissett at quarterback. The 3-win Houston Texans are looking for and could make a run for a wild-card spot in the second half of the year.
- Denver Broncos (7-2)
- Kansas City Chiefs (6-2)
- Las Vegas Raiders (4-5)
- Los Angeles Chargers (0-8)
AFC playoff standings after Sunday’s Week 9
- Buffalo Bills (6-1) – Monday Night Football
- Denver Broncos (7-2)
- Jacksonville Jaguars (6-2, 5-2)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2, win over CIN, 3-2 AFC)
- Kansas City Chiefs (6-2, 6-1 AFC)
- Cincinnati Bengals (6-2, PIT loss, 4-2 AFC)
- New England Patriots (5-4, 5-1 AFC)
- Cleveland Browns (5-4, 3-3 AFC)
- Las Vegas Raiders (4-5, 3-3 AFC)
- Baltimore Ravens (4-5, 2-4 AFC)
- Houston Texans (3-5)
- New York Jets (2-7, 2-4 AFC)
- Indianapolis Colts (2-7, 1-5 AFC)
- Miami Dolphins (1-7, 1-4 AFC)
- Tennessee Titans (1-7, 1-5 AFC)
- Los Angeles Chargers (0-8)
The Bills entered the week as the one seed in the AFC but faced a tough Vikings defense on Monday Night Football. A win would keep them a one seed, but a loss would push the Denver Broncos down to a one seed. The two teams will play each other on Christmas, which could decide who leaves the number one seed in the AFC.
They are led by MVP candidate Josh Allen and this strong Buffalo Bills run and will be a tough matchup for whoever plays them this season.
Expectations: @Vikings, @Jets, vs. Dolphins vs. Chiefs, @Patriots, @Packers, vs. Bears, @ Broncos, @ Dolphins, vs. Jets
The Denver Broncos improved to 7-2 on the year after their win over the Panthers and head into their BYE with a shot to take over as the number one seed in the AFC if the Bills lose on Monday Night.
It’s a much-needed week off for the Broncos, who are a little shell-shocked right now and will use this extra week to recover and prepare for a strong second-half push. They have a brutal schedule to start the year, but on paper, the schedule gets easier in the second half. If they can take care of business, they control their own destiny when it comes to the AFC West and the number one seed in the AFC.
In the future: BYE, vs. Raiders, @ Steelers, vs. Dolphins, @Jets, @Raiders, vs. Bills, @Patriots, and vs. Chargers
3. Jacksonville Jaguars (6-2)
The Jaguars are one of the hottest teams in the NFL (the Broncos beat them, though) and enter the week as the number 3 seed in the AFC. With Thursday Night’s win over the Ravens, the Jags improve to 6-2 and look like one of the top contenders in the AFC.
They are led by head coach Liam Coen, quarterback Trevor Lawrence, and one of the more explosive offenses in the NFL. They have a strong passing game, run it well, and have a defense that will keep every game close.
Looking ahead: @Titans, @Giants, vs. Titans, @ Bears, vs. Steelers, @ Texans, @ Cowboys, vs. Commanders, and @ Colts
4. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2)
The Steelers remain the kings of the AFC North, led by future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers, a strong run game, and a dominant defense. However, they have the Bengals on their heels in what will be a tight race for the division moving forward.
We saw the Bengals win this morning in Madrid, Spain, while the Steelers enjoyed their bye week. The Ravens, who lost Lamar Jackson but traded for Jacoby Brissett, are also lurking.
Expectations: @Bengals, @Eagles, vs. Broncos, vs. Texans, @Jaguars, vs. Ravens vs. Panthers, @Titans, and @Ravens
5. Kansas City Chiefs (6-2)
The Chiefs ended their two-game losing streak at home against the Jets. However, their season took a nosedive after quarterback Patrick Mahomes appeared to injure his throwing elbow. Despite not looking good, Mahomes returned to the game and finished it without any issues.
They still trail the Broncos in the division but will look to keep it close for the rest of the season. On paper, they have a tough schedule in the second half, so they’ll need to beat some good teams if they want to reclaim the AFC West.
Expectations: @Falcons, vs. Cardinals, @Bills, @Rams, @Bengals, vs. Patriots vs. 49ers, @ Chargers, vs. Raiders
6. Cincinnati Bengals (6-2)
The Bengals stayed hot in Madrid this morning and defeated the Atlanta Falcons thanks to their explosive offense led by Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, and Tee Higgins. They are currently trailing the Steelers in the division but will face them in a key game next week.
Despite a poor run game and a leaky defense, the Bengals are one of the hottest teams in the NFL and currently have the best passing offense in the NFL. Can Joe Burrow’s arm lead them to an AFC North crown?
In the future: vs. Steelers, @ Commanders, vs. Saints, @Browns, vs. Chiefs, @ Panthers, @ Colts, vs. Ravens, and vs. Browns
7. New England Patriots (5-4)
After a tough loss to the Green Bay Packers, the Patriots fell to 5-4, but remain in the playoffs for now due to the struggles of other AFC teams. However, they have some hungry teams behind them ready to pounce.
The Patriots had a rough start to the season, but have seemed to turn things around lately, but have dropped two of their last three games, and needed a comeback to beat the Dolphins last week. They can’t afford more losses if they want to make the playoffs or even consider winning the AFC East.
In the future: vs. Lions, BYE, @ Chargers, vs. Bills, vs. Vikings, @ Chiefs, @ Jets, vs. Broncos, and vs. Dolphins
8. Cleveland Browns (5-4)
9. Las Vegas Raiders (4-5)
10. Baltimore Ravens (4-5)