It was only a month ago when I was pushing back on fans saying the Bills season was over. I reminded fans about that 2021 season when the Bills sat a 7 - 6 and ripped off four straight wins. Jump back to this season and the Bills are now riding another four-game win streak, which sets up a massive showdown this weekend against the Miami Dolphins for the AFC East crown. The Bills set this up by taking down the Patriots, in a game that saw rookie Dalton Kincaid set another Bills record.
What about the Baltimore Ravens? They completely dominated the Miami Dolphins who, outside of a home win against the Dallas Cowboys, struggled mightily against a team with a winning record. The Ravens decimated the Dolphins by a score of 56 - 19 and secured the top spot in the AFC playoffs one week early. Now the question will be whether the Ravens choose to play Lamar Jackson and other starters or rest them for the playoffs.
Over in the AFC South, the top three teams all won this past weekend, setting up a huge Week 18 for the division title. The Jacksonville Jaguars just need to win, and they will be division champions. The Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans play each other, and the winner will have to hope for a Jaguars loss, who will face the 5 - 11 Tennessee Titans.
The Kansas City Chiefs secured the AFC West title after defeating the Cincinnati Bengals 25 - 17 and the third seed in the AFC playoffs. The Denver Broncos won but sitting at 8 - 8, were eliminated from the playoff race, as was the Raiders and Chargers.
16. Los Angeles Chargers (5 - 11)
The Los Angeles were eliminated from the playoffs a while back already and have nothing to play for. This week, they fell to the Denver Broncos 16 - 9. The Chargers will have their eye on the offseason, but the current roster will be essentially auditioning to remain on the roster next season. Most teams go through a mass turnover of their roster when a new coach and general manager come in. I'd expect this offseason to be no different for the Chargers.
15. New England Patriots (4 - 12)
The Patriots gave the Bills a run for their money but unlike the last meeting between these two teams, the Bills defense was able to seal the deal. The Patriots are similar to the Chargers, in that they are looking towards the offseason, but the difference is we don't know for sure that Bill Belichick will return or not. We've heard the rumors but until it's official, I'm not sold.
14. New York Jets (6 - 10)
The Jets rank fifth in total defense this season but they've given up 28 or more points in five of their last seven, which feels like maybe the players have thrown in the towel on the season. Is that an indictment on Coach Saleh? Two seasons into his tenure and the Jets haven't won more than seven games. Also, the team lost six straight last season to close out the year and this year 2 - 7 over their last nine. Should Coach Saleh be on the hot seat?
13. Tennessee Titans (5 - 11)
The Titans lost their rookie quarterback, Will Levis during the game this past weekend and Ryan Tannehill had to step in. The Titans lost again, this time falling to the Houston Texans 26 - 3. They face the Jaguars this weekend in a game both the Texans and Colts will be watching very closely. Jacksonville should be able to take care of business, but you never know what might happen when division rivals collide.
12. Las Vegas Raiders (7 - 9)
If you're a Raiders fan, the idea of the Chiefs losing out and the Raiders winning out was a fun thought but short-lived. The Raiders fell to the Colts 23 - 20, ending Las Vegas' hopes for a division title or at least a playoff spot. Despite the poor season, I think the Raiders might have their quarterback of the future in Aiden O'Connell who has played well as a rookie but also had some rookie moments. They also found their head coach of the future, but hopefully, ownership sees that too and removes the interim tag from coach Antonio Pierce's title.
11. Denver Broncos (8 - 8)
I'm not sure what the Broncos are doing these days but it seems to me that they have given up on the season, before playing their Week 17 game against the Chargers. Regardless of what you think of Russell Wilson, his play this year hasn't been bad, and certainly better than he was a year ago. Will the Broncos take the salary cap and release him? They say they will, but we'll have to wait and see if that happens.
10. Indianapolis Colts (9 - 7)
The Colts kept their playoff hopes alive with the victory over the Raiders, 23 - 20, and will face off against the Houston Texans this weekend. The winner of this game will likely be in the playoffs and have a shot at the division title depending on the outcome of the Jaguars game against the Titans.
9. Houston Texans (9 - 7)
Here is another of the AFC South teams, with three of them, the Colts, Texans, and Jaguars all ranking 8 - 10 in this poll, and all three tied at 9 - 7. The Texans handled the Titans with ease, downing them 26 - 3 and keeping their playoff and division title hopes alive. The Texans also welcomed C.J. Stroud back under center and now look to make that final playoff push.
8. Jacksonville Jaguars (9 - 7)
Here is the final AFC South team, taking our top ranking among the three. After defeating the Carolina Panthers 26 - 0, they maintain their position atop the South division. They are in a win-and-in scenario with their upcoming battle with the Titans. The stakes are high but simple, beat the inferior 5 - 11 Titans team and win the division and the fourth seed of the AFC playoffs. Lose and you might be going home for the offseason.
7. Cincinnati Bengals (8 - 8)
Bengals fans will point to the Joe Burrow injury as the reason this team missed the playoffs but it's not like the team was winning a ton of games with him in the lineup. Besides, Jake Browning has played well in Burrow's place. It might seem odd to have the Bengals in the top seven here, ahead of other teams that are still playing for a playoff spot, but I think the Bengals are a good team, but we'll see what happens in Week 18 when they face the Cleveland Browns.
6. Miami Dolphins (10 - 6)
It's really hard for me to put these guys even this high in the rankings. Don't get me wrong, they are a good football team but the way they play against quality teams makes it difficult. Do I believe they would lose against the Bengals, Colts, Texans, or Jaguars, that would be difficult to say but for now, I have them ranked sixth, and depending on what they do against the Bills this weekend, they could fall out of the top ten in next week's AFC power rankings.
5. Pittsburgh Steelers (9 - 7)
The Steelers ensured that Coach Tomlin would complete his 17th consecutive season with a winning record when they took down the Seattle Seahawks 30 -23. The win also keeps them alive in the AFC playoff chase, where they currently sit in the ninth spot. They will be rooting for the Bills to lose to the Dolphins, and they'll need to beat the Ravens as well, which they did earlier in the year. Plus, the Ravens will likely be resting several of their starters for most, if not all, of this regular-season finale.
4. Kansas City Chiefs (10 - 6)
The Chiefs locked up another AFC West title, downing the Bengals 25 - 17, while also booking a trip to the playoffs and the AFC's number three seed. They will host the wild card round but it's possible they could be on the road for the divisional round, assuming they make it out of the wild card round. The Chiefs aren't who they used to be offensively but it's still Patrick Mahomes and coach Andy Reid, so they can't be taken lightly, despite their recent struggles.
3. Buffalo Bills (10 - 6)
I don't want to say I told you so but I'm going to, "I told you so". I said more than a month ago that I believed the Bills would be in this spot battling the Dolphins for the AFC title. I wrote a week-by-week predictive piece during Week 12 and have only been wrong on one of those predictions, that being the Cowboys game. Either way, here we are after the Bills downed the Patriots and the Dolphins were embarrassed by the Ravens. It all comes down to a massive Week 18 showdown.
2. Cleveland Browns (11 - 5)
Before the Brows signed Joe Flacco off the streets, I wasn't a believer in this team because they just weren't getting good quarterback play. I also wouldn't have guessed that signing Flacco would have the impact it is. But Flacco is balling right now and has given the Browns a legitimate shot at a Super Bowl title. They have the fifth seed locked up and are a serious threat. They hold an 8 - 3 conference record, the only other teams as good are the Chiefs and Ravens, both also are 8 - 3 in AFC play.
1. Baltimore Ravens (13 - 3)
There may not be a more complete team in the AFC than this Ravens team. On paper, it would seem we are on a collision course for a 49ers and Ravens Super Bowl. The problem is, when the Ravens get into the playoffs, they don't look like the same team and the Ravens have only one win with Lamar Jackson at quarterback. I will add though, that this iteration of the Ravens is more talented at the skill positions than they've been in years past.