As the NFL regular season comes to an end this weekend, 12 of the 14 playoff spots have been clinched, with many seeds still undecided in the final week and two spots still up for grabs. The seventh seed in the AFC, contested by the Broncos, Dolphins and Bengals, comes with the reward of a trip to Buffalo for the Super Wild Card round. In the NFC, the winner of the South Division is still undecided. Tampa Bay currently leads, but if the Buccaneers lose at home to the Saints and the Falcons beat the Panthers, Atlanta would clinch the 4th seed. The reward for winning this division is to host the loser of the Vikings-Lions game – two teams that deserve to host this game based on their incredible record this season, but hey, I don’t make the rules.
Chiefs Hold the Fate of the AFC’s 7th Seed in Their Hands
In the AFC, the Chiefs (1), Bills (2), and Texans (4) are the only guaranteed seeds. Depending on results, the currently qualified Ravens, Steelers, and Chargers could still move. The 7th seed currently belongs to Denver, who will host the Chiefs, a team that has won 21 of their last 22 games and against whom Mahomes has a 13-1 record. Fortunately for the Broncos, the Chiefs may rest their starters – though coach Andy Reid hasn’t confirmed this yet – potentially giving Denver a better chance to win and secure their spot regardless of the results of the Dolphins and Bengals, who are “in the hunt” in that order.
With a win, the Chiefs would tie the record for most wins in a regular season with 16, set by the 2007 Patriots. However, even Kansas City’s backups are elite NFL players, so a Broncos win is far from guaranteed. The Chiefs could also eliminate Joe Burrow and the Bengals, who have won four straight games and have arguably the best offense in the league. Notably, Burrow (in the 2021 AFC Championship) and Tom Brady (twice) are the only quarterbacks to beat Mahomes in the playoffs. Avoiding them entirely might be the Chiefs’ best-case scenario, but that would require a loss this weekend.
Even if the Chiefs win, the Bengals would still need the Jets to beat the Dolphins. If both results go their way, the Bengals would secure the 7th seed. As mentioned, the reward for the final AFC playoff spot is a trip to Buffalo to face potential MVP Josh Allen. There’s still a lot to be decided, but first the Bengals have to beat the Steelers in Pittsburgh. The Steelers are also looking to clinch the 5th seed to play in Houston instead of finishing 6th and heading to a divisional game to Baltimore in the playoffs. Bengals fans, step one is winning in Pittsburgh; step two is hoping for the right combination of results to pull off the miracle for a team that started the season 1-4 and even dropped to 4-8, if it was for the offense this team would be in the top of the AFC.
