AFC playoff picture is a circus

The AFC is going to be bananas down the stretch. We have only begun the Week 8 slate, and already there is utter chaos.

Had the Miami Dolphins beaten the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday night, we would have had a 5-2 Dolphins team that although seriously flawed, would have been in the driver’s seat for a playoff berth. Instead, the Ravens used the putrid combination of Joe Flacco and Ryan Mallett to win 40-0 in one of the league’s biggest laughers yet.

Looking at the standings, it’s pretty obvious that the New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs will both win their respective divisions and be the conference’s top three seeds. How they end up ordered within them remains uncertain, but those teams are the only three with a real chance of getting to Super Bowl LII.

After that trio, it’s an absolute mess, and that’s what makes playoff races fun. The Buffalo Bills and Dolphins have to be considered as part of the race, especially a Buffalo team with a real defense. The Bills have absolutely no offensive weaponry outside of running back LeSean McCoy, but their 4-2 record speaks for itself. A home win this Sunday over the Oakland Raiders would put them in terrific shape heading toward the second half of the season.

Speaking of the Raiders, they were supposed to be a huge threat to the Chiefs in the AFC West, but despite beating them last Thursday, that isn’t the case. Oakland is 3-4 and has to win the next two weeks before its bye, taking on both the Bills and Dolphins on the road. It won’t be easy, but victories there would at least give the Raiders a fighting chance.

Meanwhile, the AFC South is a total cluster. The Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Titans are tied atop the division with 4-3 marks, with the Houston Texans only a half-game off the pace at 3-3. Whoever doesn’t win this division (my money has the Titans finding a way) will end up fighting for one of the wild card spots if not both of them. Ultimately, the teams in this division have the benefit of beating up on each other, and getting the dreadful Indianapolis Colts for two games apiece.

So who ends up making the playoffs? Well, outside of Kansas City, Pittsburgh and New England, the Titans have the best chance. Their schedule is comically easy the rest of the way, and the division is horrid. As for the wild cards, I’m rolling with the Ravens and Jaguars. Both teams have horrendous quarterback situations, but each has an easy docket ahead and solid defenses.

Regardless, this race should come down to the final weeks of the year, giving us all reason to watch the ticker at the bottom of our screens.