Right now, the focus for the Houston Texans should only be on Week 10's road trip against the Cleveland Browns.
With a loss on Sunday against a now-struggling Browns teams, it feels as if the writing will be on the wall for the Texans' chance to make a run back into the AFC playoff conversation, at least barring a miraculous turnaround against much more stable teams.
But following a 44-22 win over the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 9, where would the Texans rank today among those "in the hunt" for a playoff berth ahead of Sunday's matchup against Deshaun Watson and a still competitive Browns roster?
Currently sitting at 6-1 and entering their Monday Night Football matchup against the Minnesota Vikings, the Buffalo Bills are the top seed in the conference.
After defeating the Kansas City Chiefs (5-2) on Sunday, the Denver Broncos jumped from fifth to second in the AFC playoff picture at 7-2.
Denver also holds a tiebreaker edge over the Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2) and Jacksonville Jaguars (6-2). With their win over the Baltimore Ravens, they are currently in a tie for the third seed, while the Chiefs remain locked in as the first wild-card bid team.
New England, with a lowly loss to the Green Bay Packers, moved down into the postseason race, while Cincinnati took a step closer toward division royalty with a win in Madrid over Atlanta.
Here's a look at the AFC's full playoff picture following Week 9.
NFL playoff picture (AFC)
- Buffalo Bills: 6-1
- Denver Broncos: 7-2
- Jacksonville Jaguars: 6-2
- Pittsburgh Steelers: 6-2
- Kansas City Chiefs: 6-2
- Cincinnati Bengals: 6-2
- New England Patriots: 5-4
- Cleveland Browns: 5-4
- Las Vegas Raiders: 4-5
- Baltimore Ravens: 4-5
- Houston Texans: 3-5
For starters, Houston must win on Sunday to remain in the conversation for a playoff bid. After that, there's a bit of luck on their side entering the closing weeks. Houston will return home for a divisional matchup against the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday Night Football, where the team will debut its H-Town rivalry uniforms.
The matchup against Baltimore still could be a challenge, but it becomes less daunting knowing the status of MVEP quarterback Lamar Jackson. The Ravens, who remain in the playoff race, will start Jacoby Brissett, who was named the starter after being traded from the Arizona Cardinals earlier this week.
Houston also has matchups against the Eagles and Titans, two teams that have begun to fire-sale their rosters in hopes of garnishing enough draft capital to build around for the future. The Texans also have a matchup on Dec. 20 against the Jaguars, a team they've already beaten in Week 6 behind a stellar performance from C.J. Stroud and kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn.
The Texans kick off this Sunday at Noon on FOX.
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: AFC Playoff picture: Texans remain in the hunt entering Week 10
