After another comeback win over the Carolina Panthers, the Denver Broncos improve to 7-2 on the season as they head into their bye week. With this win, the Broncos continue to lead the AFC West, and with a loss by the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football vs. the Minnesota Vikings, they can take the No. 1 seed and take control of the AFC.
The top four teams remained the same this week, but could change if the Bills lose tomorrow night. The Jacksonville Jaguars won on Thursday Night while the Pittsburgh Steelers enjoyed their bye week off. In the wild card, the Kansas City Chiefs ended their losing streak while the Cincinnati Bengals stayed hot. However, the New England Patriots were blown out and fell to 5-4 on the year and have several teams on their heels looking to get into the postseason.
Another loss for the Cleveland Browns has them free-falling; the Las Vegas Raiders lost again, but continue to be a scrappy team, while the Baltimore Ravens will look to stay in the conversation with Jacoby Brissett at quarterback. The 3-win Houston Texans are looking and could make a run for a wild-card spot in the second half of the year.
AFC West Standings
- Denver Broncos (7-2)
- Kansas City Chiefs (6-2)
- Las Vegas Raiders (4-5)
- Los Angeles Chargers (0-8)
AFC playoff standings after Sunday of Week 9
- Buffalo Bills (6-1) – Monday Night Football
- Denver Broncos (7-2)
- Jacksonville Jaguars (6-2, 5-2)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2, win over CIN, 3-2 AFC)
- Kansas City Chiefs (6-2, 6-1 AFC)
- Cincinnati Bengals (6-2, loss to PIT, 4-2 AFC)
- New England Patriots (5-4, 5-1 AFC)
In the hunt
- Cleveland Browns (5-4, 3-3 AFC)
- Las Vegas Raiders (4-5, 3-3 AFC)
- Baltimore Ravens (4-5, 2-4 AFC)
- Houston Texans (3-5)
- New York Jets (2-7, 2-4 AFC)
- Indianapolis Colts (2-7, 1-5 AFC)
- Miami Dolphins (1-7, 1-4 AFC)
- Tennessee Titans (1-7, 1-5 AFC)
- Los Angeles Chargers (0-8)
Division Leaders
1. Buffalo Bills (6-1)
The Bills entered the week as the one seed in the AFC but face a tough Vikings defense on Monday Night Football. A win would keep them as the one seed, but a loss would push the Denver Broncos to the one seed. Both teams will play each other on Christmas, which could decide who comes away with the number one seed in the AFC.
They are led by MVP candidate Josh Allen and this strong Buffalo Bills run game and will be a difficult matchup for whoever plays them this season.
Looking ahead: @ Vikings, @ Jets, vs. Dolphins, vs. Chiefs, @ Patriots, @ Packers, vs. Bears, @ Broncos, @ Dolphins, vs. Jets
2. Denver Broncos (7-2)
The Denver Broncos improved to 7-2 on the year after their win over the Panthers and head into their BYE with a shot to take over as the number one seed in the AFC if the Bills lose on Monday Night.
This is a much-needed week off for the Broncos, who are a bit banged up right now and can use this extra week to heal up and get ready for the strong second-half push. They had a brutal schedule to start the year, but on paper, the schedule gets much easier in the second half. If they can take care of business, they control their own destiny when it comes to the AFC West and the number one seed in the AFC.
Looking ahead: BYE, vs. Raiders, @ Steelers, vs. Dolphins, @ Jets, @ Raiders, vs. Bills, @ Patriots, and vs. Chargers
3. Jacksonville Jaguars (6-2)
The Jaguars are one of the hottest teams in the NFL (the Broncos beat them, though) and entered the week as the number 3 seed in the AFC. With a win on Thursday Night vs. the Ravens, the Jags improved to 6-2 and look like one of the top contenders in the AFC.
They’re led by head coach Liam Coen, quarterback Trevor Lawrence, and one of the more explosive offenses in the NFL. They have a strong passing game, run it well, and have a defense that will keep them close in each and every game.
Looking ahead: @ Titans, @ Giants, vs. Titans, @ Bears, vs. Steelers, @ Texans, @ Cowboys, vs. Commanders, and @ Colts
4. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2)
The Steelers remain the kings of the AFC North, led by future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers, a strong run game, and a dominant defense. However, they have the Bengals right on their heels in what figures to be a tight race for the division moving forward.
We saw the Bengals win early this morning in Madrid, Spain, while the Steelers enjoyed their bye week. The Ravens, who lost Lamar Jackson but traded for Jacoby Brissett, are lurking as well.
Looking ahead: @Bengals, @ Eagles, vs. Broncos, vs. Texans, @Jaguars, vs. Ravens, vs. Panthers, @ Titans, and @ Ravens
Wild Card teams
5. Kansas City Chiefs (6-2)
The Chiefs ended their two-game losing streak at home vs. the Jets. However, their season flashed before their eyes after quarterback Patrick Mahomes looked to hurt his throwing elbow. While it did not look good, Mahomes returned to the game and finished it without any issues.
They still trail the Broncos in the division but will look to keep it close for the remainder of the season. On paper, they have a tough second-half schedule, so they will need to beat some good teams if they want to reclaim the AFC West.
Looking ahead: @ Falcons, vs. Cardinals, @ Bills, @Rams, @ Bengals, vs. Patriots, vs. 49ers, @ Chargers, vs. Raiders
6. Cincinnati Bengals (6-2)
The Bengals stayed hot in Madrid this morning and defeated the Atlanta Falcons due to their explosive offense led by Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, and Tee Higgins. They currently trail the Steelers in the division but face them in a key game next week.
Despite a poor run game and a leaky defense, the Bengals are one of the hottest teams in the NFL and currently have the best passing offense in the NFL. Can the arm of Joe Burrow lead them to an AFC North crown?
Looking ahead: vs. Steelers, @ Commanders, vs. Saints, @ Browns, vs. Chiefs, @ Panthers, @ Colts, vs. Ravens, and vs. Browns
7. New England Patriots (5-4)
After a tough blowout loss to the Green Bay Packers, the Patriots fell to 5-4, but remain in the playoffs as of now due to the struggles of the rest of the AFC teams. However, they have a few hungry teams behind them ready to pounce.
The Patriots had a tough start to the season, but seemed to turn things around recently, but have dropped two of their last three games, and needed a comeback to beat the Dolphins last week. They cannot afford many more losses if they want to make the playoffs or even consider winning the AFC East.
Looking ahead: vs. Lions, BYE, @ Chargers, vs. Bills, vs. Vikings, @ Chiefs, @ Jets, vs. Broncos, and vs. Dolphins
In The Hunt
8. Cleveland Browns (5-4)
9. Las Vegas Raiders (4-5)
10. Baltimore Ravens (4-5)
11. Houston Texans (3-5)
