AFC Playoff Picture: Aaron Rodgers' Jets all but out, Russell Wilson's Broncos surging
When Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson's teams crossed paths earlier this year, the two franchises were on opposite trajectories. The Broncos were seemingly nosediving, and the Jets were taking flight. However, with December on the horizon, both franchises are now in opposite situations. The Jets are on the brink, while the Broncos appear to be the new kids on the block.
What about the rest of the AFC? Who's sitting pretty, and who is already done? Here's a look at the playoff picture.
Tua Tagovailoa's Dolphins lead teams teetering on clinching
While seeding will come down to the final week in all likelihood, nine wins is often enough to get to January, and several teams are just days away. The Dolphins played far from their best game of the season on Black Friday, but there might be a side effect stemming from where they stand in the AFC play race. At 8-3, they now sit in the first seed.
The Baltimore Ravens have slipped into the second seed for the moment, but still have a game to play this weekend at 8-3. The Chiefs, also, have slipped all the way to the third seed in shocking fashion at 7-3. The Jacksonville Jaguars are also tied at 7-3. At this point, there are several things to figure out at the top of the AFC race.
Browns' dominant defense leads active wild card holders
Those are not the only teams with a playoff chance, but they are the most likely to get a playoff spot, barring a complete implosion. Outside of those teams, there's a smattering of teams vying for a wild card spot. Currently, the Browns (7-3) Texans (6-4), and Steelers (6-4), hold the fifth, sixth, and seven spots awarded to teams who do not win their division.
At this point, questions dot this part of the playoff landscape. Can the Browns' Super Bowl-caliber defense continue to keep scores low for backup Dorian Thompson-Robinson? Can the Texans continue to explode on offense behind rookie CJ Stroud, a rookie who has never been in this position before? Can the Steelers remain viable despite firing offensive coordinator Matt Canada?
Russell Wilson's Broncos lead Wild Card hopefuls
The 6-5 Bills, Russell Wilson's 5-5 Broncos, and 5-6 Raiders all have realistic shots at sneaking into the Wild Card seeding. They're going to need some help, but they also need to win games at a fast clip over the course of the final six weeks. The Bills are shockingly below the cutoff line after several years of AFC relevancy near the top of the pack.
Russell Wilson's Broncos are 4-0 over their last four games as the hottest team in the NFL. Wilson is back to pulling off clutch fourth-quarter comebacks like it is 2013, so it's hard to write them off just yet. Despite starting 1-4, Wilson leads the league in touchdown-interception ratio and is a top-five quarterback in several categories.
Russell Wilson's biggest rival for the Wild Card spot, the Las Vegas Raiders, look as good as they have all season with a positive record in the Antonio Pierce era. It feels like one team from this group will nab a playoff spot over the next few weeks. Who will it be?
Aaron Rodgers' Jets lead teams teetering on elimination
While roughly two-thirds of the AFC are still realistically hanging in there for a playoff run with six weeks to go, a chunk of teams appear to be on their dying breath when it comes to playoff expectations.
The New England Patriots (2-8), Titans (3-7) and Jets (4-7) have all but essentially put themselves into a lame-duck situation. All three teams have made a quarterback change this season and are spiraling.
Other teams not quite dead but seemingly playing on borrowed time are the Chargers (4-6), Bengals (5-5) and Colts (5-5). The Bengals and Colts are leaning on backup quarterbacks who lack a history of winning and simply do not look like playoff material capable of going on the long run required over the long haul.
Justin Herbert would need to be more clutch than he has in the history of his career. He's the least dead in this section, but his head coach is clearly cracking under the pressure. If Herbert doesn't crack first, his head coach will.
For the complete list of standings, see Sportskeeda's NFL Standings List.