AFC playoff picture explained: Bengals, Dolphins and Broncos to battle for one postseason berth in Week 18
Joe Burrow, Tyreek Hill and Bo Nix will lead their teams into battle in Week 18 to win the final AFC playoff spot.
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Either of Joe Burrow, Tyreek Hill and Bo Nix will win the final AFC playoff spot (Image via X)
Games played out in Week 17 of this NFL season brought up some interesting situations for three AFC teams. Joe Burrow and his Cincinnati Bengals, Tyreek Hill and his Miami Dolphins, and Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos are still in contention for a playoff berth.
Ahead of these games, the Indianapolis Colts were the most to gain if they had won their battle against the New York Giants. However, they were dealt a massive upset at the hands of one of the worst teams in the league. That immediately threw them out of playoff contention as they ended up with the worst record among the four.
That also meant that the situation opened up possibilities for the rest of the teams. With just one game left, one out of those three AFC rivals will get a chance to suit up for the postseason, whereas two will start their exit interviews early.
Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos almost have a foot in
The Denver Broncos might have lost to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 17; however, they are still in pole position to clinch an AFC playoff position owing to their better record. They stand at 9-7 and have a better record over both the Dolphins and the Bengals.
That means, all they need is to win against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 18 and they will cement that berth. The early understanding is that they will likely rest Patrick Mahomes and some of their starters. Having clinched a bye, they don’t much to play for. Hence Bo Nix and his teammates should have an easier task at home.
However, they should not take the job casually. The Chiefs second stringers with their careers on the line will be hell bent on making a mark. Head coach Andy Reid will be coaching them to win, so the Broncos will have to battle it out if they are to get both feet into the AFC playoffs.
Playoff spot is Tyreek Hill and the Miami Dolphins’ to lose
If all three teams win their Week 18 games, the Miami Dolphins will lose out on the final AFC Wild Card spot. To avoid that, they have to win against the lowly New York Jets and hope the others lose. The Jets had an abomination of a game against the Buffalo Bills and could give the Dolphins hope.
However, the fourth quarter of that game saw backup QB Tyrod Taylor throw two touchdowns when leading superstar Aaron Rodgers could not even get his team into scoring positions. If anything, that could spur them to continue with Taylor for their final game of the season.
That would spur him and the rest of the players to go out on a high note. This situation will not bode well for the Miami Dolphins if they find themselves without Tua Tagovailoa. Their star QB was missing from action in their Week 17 win against the Cleveland Browns and his position is unclear.
If he returns, their high-powered offense should look to get the job done on the road. If they don’t, they can start planning for next season. However, the season is not over unless it’s over and Tyreek Hill and his teammates need to be at their best to make something happen in the AFC playoffs.
Joe Burrow and Cincinnati Bengals still have hope
Before the Week 17 games, Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals had the toughest path to reaching the playoffs. They had to beat the Denver Broncos at home and hoped for other teams to falter. The former was taken care off and the Colts loss gave the Bengals faithful further hope of purchasing a playoff ticket.
Now with one game left though, those faithful fans should still wait to plan out their January second week schedules. The order of the Week 18 games will first their team take on the playoff bound Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Steelers know all too well that they would rather play against an injury depleted Houston Texans in the Wild Card round than against a Baltimore Ravens team who just blew them out week ago. If they lose against the Bengals, the Los Angeles Chargers could leapfrog them and land the favored playoff matchup.
All of this points to the fact that Joe Burrow and his teammates will have to give it their all. Then after that, wait until the other two teams play out their games. They need both the above teams to lose if they are to stake their claim on the final AFC playoff spot. Not an optimal situation, but possible, nevertheless.
Related: Joe Burrow responds to Cowboys Micah Parsons rooting him for MVP
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Joseph Varghese
(2167 Articles Published)