Merry Christmas, football fans.
‘Tis the season for playoff berths, spoilers, and win-or-go-home matchups.
We’ve got two more weeks of NFL action before we can tie a bow on the playoff picture, and this weekend’s contests will go a long way in determining who’s naughty, who’s nice, and who’s poised for a happy new year.
Let’s dig into this week’s AFC scenarios.
Standings
If the season ended today…
Wild Card Round
No. 6 Buffalo Bills (8-6) at No. 3 Jacksonville Jaguars[x] (10-4)
No. 5 Tennessee Titans (8-6) at No. 4 Kansas City Chiefs (8-6)
Divisional Round
Lowest-seeded wild-card winner at No. 1 New England Patriots[y] (12-2)
Highest-seeded wild-card winner at No. 2 Pittsburgh Steelers (11-3)
[x] Clinched playoff berth
[y] Clinched division title
[z] Clinched home-field advantage
AFC teams still in the hunt
Baltimore Ravens (8-6)
Los Angeles Chargers (7-7)
Oakland Raiders (6-8)
Miami Dolphins (6-8)
Clinching scenarios
Game of the Week
Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots, Sunday 1 p.m. ET
The Bills can’t clinch, but they can tighten their grip on a wild-card spot if they can manage a win over the Patriots. This one could get heated considering what’s at stake and after what went down during their most recent meeting (Rob Gronkowski’s dirty hit on Tre’Davious White).
The Patriots are this close to locking up home-field advantage, while the Bills risk cutting their playoff odds in half if they lose.
Spoiler Alert
Los Angeles Chargers at New York Jets, Sunday 1 p.m. ET
The Chargers fell flat last week against Kansas City as their four-game win streak came to a screeching halt. They can’t afford another loss.
Other games to watch
Indianapolis Colts at Baltimore Ravens, Saturday 4:30 p.m. ET
The scheduling gods are in the Ravens’ corner—they’ve got the Colts and Bengals in the final two weeks. Win out and they’re in. Lose, and you’ve got to deal with tie-breaker scenarios, which don’t exactly favour Baltimore as they lost head-to-heads vs. Jacksonville, Tennessee, and Pittsburgh (twice).
Miami Dolphins at Kansas City Chiefs, Sunday 1 p.m. ET
After rebounding from their mid-season slump, the Chiefs have put together two division wins just in time for the post-season push, putting them in great shape should a tie-breaker scenario arise. Win a third straight game on Sunday and they’ll clinch the AFC West.
Los Angeles Rams at Tennessee Titans, Sunday 1 p.m. ET
The Titans have a few head-to-head tie-breakers in their stockings (they beat both the Ravens and the Jaguars earlier this season) but with a number of teams hot on their tails, a win this week would give them some breathing room.
Jacksonville Jaguars at San Francisco 49ers, Sunday 4:05 p.m. ET
Jacksonville is one win away from landing the AFC South title—they already clinched a playoff spot in Week 14—and could even find themselves leap-frogging Pittsburgh for that No. 2 seed, as they defeated the Steelers in Week 5.
Pittsburgh Steelers at Houston Texans, Monday 4:30 p.m. ET
All the Steelers want for Christmas is an extra week of recovery time for wide receiver Antonio Brown. They can secure a first-round bye to go with their division title with a win against Houston on Monday (likely) AND a Jacksonville loss or tie against San Francisco on Sunday (not so likely).
Oakland Raiders at Philadelphia Eagles, Monday 8:30 p.m. ET
The Raiders’ fate may have already been decided by the time this must-win Monday night showdown kicks off.
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