Updated AFC Playoff picture, AFC Wild Card standings after Bills lose to Jets
Let’s check the pulse on the AFC Playoff Picture and AFC Wild Card standings after the New York Jets pulled off an upset win over the Buffalo Bills.
For as mighty as the AFC has been all year, Week 9 was a step in the wrong direction. It’s perhaps more of a hiccup than anything, but teams like the Bills and Dolphins looked rougher than we’re used to seeing and it had a ripple effect on the NFL Playoff Picture.
Miami ran into a surprisingly ferocious Chicago Bears team that kept pace with Mike McDaniel’s high-flying offense. For what it’s worth, the Bears have owned the AFC East so far this year, beating the tar out of the Patriots earlier this season and then hanging 30-plus on the Dolphins defense. For an offense that has struggled so mightily the first two seasons of Justin Fields career, Miami made him look and feel as comfortable as he did during his days at Ohio State.
But at least the Dolphins survived. The same cannot be said about the team leading AFC.
Buffalo at least had a better excuse for playing the way it did. The best team in the AFC went up against a New York Jets team that has completely turned things around and trying to make its mark.
The Bills will be watching Sunday night’s game closely, as the Chiefs and Titans are within a game of the No. 1 seed. Buffalo, however, owns a tiebreaker over both teams after beating them earlier this season which gave them a mulligan in terms of margin of error for the remainder of the year. The margins got slimmer after Week 9, however, and in the process, gave the Jets a huge motivational win that could come back to haunt Buffalo in the long run.
Updated AFC Playoff Picture after Bills lose to Jets in Week 9
Things will change once again after Sunday Night Football. Since the Chiefs were on a bye last week, the Titans victory over Houston meant that they jumped ahead of Kansas City in the playoff picture. That sets up a primetime showdown between the Chiefs and Titans where not only is sole possession of the No. 2 seed on the line but so is what could be a crucial tiebreaker in the AFC Playoff Picture.
With the Jets and Dolphins both winning, there isn’t any movement below the fold but both teams remain in the playoff picture. Ditto for the Chargers, who escaped Atlanta with a win and hold onto the No. 7 seed.
Here’s what the AFC playoff bracket would look like if the postseason started today:
- Buffalo Bills (6-2)
- Tennessee Titans (5-2)
- Kansas City Chiefs (5-2)
- Baltimore Ravens (5-3)
- New York Jets (6-3)
- Miami Dolphins (6-3)
- Los Angeles Chargers (5-3)
Based on those standings, here’s what the playoff matchups would look like for the first weekend of action:
- (2) Tennessee Titans vs. (7) Cincinnati Bengals
- (3) Kansas City Chiefs vs. (6) Miami Dolphins
- (4) Baltimore Ravens vs. (5) New York Jets
AFC Wild Card standings after Week 9 early games
For now, here’s what the Wild Card standings look like after Week 9:
5th Seed: New York Jets (6-3)
6th Seed: Miami Dolphins (6-3)
7th Seed: Los Angeles Chargers (5-3)
On The Bubble
Cincinnati Bengals (4-3)
New England Patriots (4-4)
Indianapolis Colts (3-4-1)
In The Hunt
Denver Broncos (3-5)
Las Vegas Raiders (2-5)
Cleveland Browns (2-5)
Jacksonville Jaguars (2-6)
Pittsburgh Steelers (2-6)
Houston Texans (1-5-1)
AFC Playoff Picture Tiebreaker Scenarios
With so many teams tied in the standings, a handful of tiebreakers come into play based on various factors related to the schedule.
- Ravens win the tiebreaker over Cincinnati based on head-to-head win percentage.
- Bengals hold the tiebreaker Miami based on head-to-head win percentage.
- Dolphins hold a tiebreaker over New England based on head-to-head win percentage.
