This is from today's Kansas City Star.
Assuming a Jets victory over the Dolphins tonight, here's what would have to happen in next week's games for the Chiefs to make the playoffs:
- Chiefs beat Jacksonville
- San Fran beats Denver
- New England beats Tennessee
- Pittsburgh beats Cincinnati
Under this scenario, the Chiefs would be one of the two wild-card teams because only Kansas City, Denver and the Jets would have a record of at least 9-7. The Chiefs would win a tie breaker against the Broncos because of a better record in the AFC West.
Assuming a Jets loss to the Dolphins tonight, here's what would need to happen next weekend for the Chiefs to make the playoffs.
- Chiefs beat Jacksonville
- Oakland beats the Jets
- New England beats Tennessee
- Pittsburgh beats Cincinnati or San Fran beats Denver
In this instance, only the Chiefs, Broncos and Bengals could be 9-7. The Chiefs would beat the Broncos in the tie breaker. Denver could still finish 10-6 and the Chiefs could be the only 9-7 team.
So there you have it. A complicated road to the playoffs. Is is possible? Of course. Is it likely? Not especially. The tough games I'm looking at are Pitt over Cincy and San Fran over Denver. Both of those games, if they go the Chiefs way, would have to be considered pretty big upsets.
Thats it for now. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!