After Week 14 in the NFL, there are 12 teams in the AFC still vying for a playoff spot. Some teams, like the 5-8 Titans, have a longer road to go to clinch a spot than other teams, like the 10-3 Steelers.
The Chiefs sit right in the middle. We don't really know which way they're going to go but the key is that they control their own destiny.
A one-liner you hear often about the Chiefs (from us, too) is that they simply beat the teams they should. That's true to a degree. Of all the playoff contenders in the AFC, only the Titans (2-6) have a worse record against other AFC playoff contenders than the Chiefs (2-4).
Yet the Chiefs are in first place -- thanks to the NFC West (and you, too, Buffalo). You can only play the games on the schedule.
The Chargers are 5-4 against AFC playoff contenders and the Raiders are 3-5. Of course the schedules vary because beating the Titans isn't the same as beating the the Patriots., but this is a cool look at how everyone does against the "good" teams in the AFC.
I got some of this information from Bolts From The Blue and it's pretty useful to have it all in one spot. Here's a chart explaining how the playoff contenders have done against each other to this point (and, wow, the Raiders are 4-0 in the division).
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TEAM/GAMES VS. CONTENDERS |
OVERALL |
DIV. |
CONF. |
WK. 15 |
WK. 16 |
WK. 17 |
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KANSAS CITY CHIEFS |
8-5 |
2-3 |
5-5 |
at StL |
Ten |
Oak |
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Wins: Jax, SD; Losses: Hou, Ind, Oak, SD |
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SAN DIEGO CHARGERS |
7-6 |
2-3 |
6-4 |
SF |
at Cin |
at Den |
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Wins: Jax, Hou, Ind, KC, Ten; Losses: KC, NE, Oak (2) |
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OAKLAND RAIDERS |
6-7 |
4-0 |
4-5 |
Den |
Ind |
at KC |
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Wins: KC, SD (2); Losses: Hou, Jax, Mia, Pit, Ten |
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