NFL Playoff Race: Looking at the AFC

As we are almost 3/4 of the way into our NFL regular season, it’s time to take a hard and serious look at the playoff picture.

The playoffs are much different in 2020, as there will be 7 seeds in each conference and only 1 team with a first-round bye.

Today, we will be taking a look at the AFC, the conference holding the only unbeaten team and the 2019 Super Bowl champs.

Without further ado, let’s dig in.

If the NFL season were to end today, the AFC would shape up to this:

Steelers (10-0)
Chiefs (9-1)
Bills (7-3)
Colts (7-3)
Titans (7-3)
Browns (7-3)
Raiders (6-4)

Key Things to Consider:

The Bills hold just a 1 game lead in the AFC East over the Dolphins (6-4)
The Colts currently hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Titans
The Chiefs and Raiders split their 2 game series, with each team winning once
The Raiders (6-4) hold the tiebreaker over the Ravens and Dolphins (both 6-4) due to a better conference record
The Ravens (6-4) hold a tiebreaker over the Dolphins (6-4) due to strength of victory

However, with 5 weeks to go left in the season, there are still many important divisional and conference games to come.

The first thing that catches many peoples eyes are the 1 and 2 seeds, the Steelers and Chiefs. Now, obviously the Steelers hold the better record, but plenty may argue that the Chiefs are better.

Personally, I would say the Steelers are the clear cut best AFC team. While the Chiefs have an extremely explosive offense led by Mahomes, their defense has its own problems. After allowing 31 points to both Derek Carr and the Raiders and Teddy Bridgewater and the Panthers, questions arise.

If the Chiefs and Steelers matchup in the playoffs, how will the Chiefs stop the Steelers offense including Juju, Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool, and even James Connor? The Steelers are simply the more complete team.

Highest pressure rates in the NFL:
1. Steelers – 47.2%
2. Eagles – 41.3% pic.twitter.com/WLgzfgO8aa
— PFF (@PFF) November 19, 2020

Chiefs Defense is AWFUL and getting worse by the snap.
— shannon sharpe (@ShannonSharpe) November 23, 2020

On the other hand, the 3 seed Bills are a very interesting team. They have the ability to be a strong Super Bowl contender, but their season solely depends on the success of Josh Allen. Only time can tell….

In the AFC South, both the Titans and Colts look to make the playoffs, but things can change fast considering many teams in the hunt are only 1 game behind them. On the other hand, the AFC North looks very competitive, as the Steelers are locks for the playoffs, while the Browns hold a wild card spot, and the Ravens are the first team in the hunt.

Some crucial AFC matchups to watch: