What the Chiefs are doing after Week 15
With a victory over Houston Texans, the Kansas City Chiefs clinched AFC West in Week 15.
Unfortunately, the Chiefs still weren’t able to capture the No. 1 seed. The Buffalo Bills won the game against the Miami Dolphins last weekend to maintain their tiebreaker win over K.C. For at least another week.
Here’s a look at the AFC playoff picture following Week 15 and heading into Week 16:
AFC standings after Week 15
Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Playoff seeds
1. Buffalo Bills (11-3) [AFC East leader]
2. Kansas City Chiefs (11-3). [AFC West winner]
3. Cincinnati Bengals (10-4) [AFC North leader]
4. Tennessee Titans (7-7) [AFC South leader]
5. Baltimore Ravens (9-5) [wild card]
6. Los Angeles Chargers (8-6) [wild card]
7. Miami Dolphins (8-6) [wild card]
Hunting is a rewarding experience.
8. New England Patriots (7-7).
9. New York Jets (7-7).
10. Jacksonville Jaguars (6-8)
11. Las Vegas Raiders (6-8).
12. Cleveland Browns (6-8).
13. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-8).
14. Indianapolis Colts (4-9-1).
Eliminated
Denver Broncos (4-10)
Houston Texans (1-12-1)
If the playoffs were to begin today, the Chiefs will host the Dolphins for the wild-card round.
The Chiefs lost to the Bills earlier this season, giving them an advantage in the playoff seedings. That’s why Buffalo is in the No. 1 spot. The Bills are unlikely to lose two of their three previous games, so the Chiefs will need to win and hope for one more Bills defeat to claim the No. 1 seed. Buffalo’s biggest challenge remaining this season is its Week 17 game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
They will need to be cautious as a loss could result in them falling further down the seeding list. The Chiefs are one game lower than the Bengals. If they have the same record, they would be tied.
Story short: The Chiefs must win and the Bills should lose.
What is the tiebreaker for playoff seeding?
Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
The playoff tiebreaking procedure is:
-
If applicable, head-to-head record
-
Record of conference wins and losses.
-
Record of win-loss for the best common games (minimum four).
-
Victory is possible.
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The strength of the schedule.
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The conference’s best combined points and allowed ranking.
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Top combined points earned and top allowed ranking within NFL
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Games for conference best net points
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The best net points in all of the games.
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The best net touchdowns in all of the games
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A coin flip.
Who are the Chiefs’ remaining rivals?
Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
Week |
Date |
Opponent |
Time |
|
16 |
Saturday, Dec. 24 |
Seattle Seahawks vs. |
Noon CT FOX |
|
17 |
Sunday, Jan. 1 |
vs. Denver Broncos |
CBS at Noon CT |
|
18 |
Saturday/Sunday, January 7 or 8 |
Las Vegas Raiders |
TBD |
Who are the Bills’ remaining rivals?
Mike Dinovo-USA TODAY Sports
Week |
Date |
Opponent |
Time |
|
16 |
Saturday, Dec. 24 |
@ Chicago Bears |
CBS at Noon CT |
|
17 |
Monday, Jan. 2 |
@ Cincinnati Bengals |
7:30 p.m. CT on ESPN/ABC |
|
18 |
Sunday, Jan. 8 |
New England Patriots vs. |
TBD |