Patriots

AFC playoff picture: Jaguars and Chargers among biggest movers, and the Patriots are technically still in it

By Christopher Price, The Boston Globe

December 27, 2022

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There are two weeks left in the NFL regular season, and while the postseason field has narrowed a bit — you can officially say so long to Browns, Colts, Broncos, and Texans — there was still plenty of movement in the AFC playoff picture entering Week 17.

The Jaguars and Chargers are this week’s big gainers, while the Titans take a wild tumble.

Here’s the complete look at the current AFC playoff picture entering Week 17:

1. Bills (12-3)

Unchanged from last week

Remaining schedule: at Bengals (11-4), vs. Patriots (7-8).

Opponents’ record: 18-12 (.600)

The skinny: According to ESPN Stats & Information, there will only be one game between teams with winning records in Week 17: the Bills against the Bengals. It marks just the second time since the 1970 merger where there’s only one game between winning teams in a week within the final two weeks of a season.

2. Chiefs (12-3)

Unchanged from last week

Remaining schedule: vs. Broncos (4-11), at Raiders (6-9).

Opponents’ record: 10-20 (.333)

The skinny: With the victory against the Seahawks, Patrick Mahomes has won 16 straight regular-season games against the NFC, the longest win streak in inter-conference games since the 1970 merger, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

3. Bengals (11-4)

Unchanged from last week

Remaining schedule: vs. Bills (12-3), vs. Ravens (10-5)

Opponents’ record: 22-8 (.733)

The skinny: Cincinnati clinched a playoff spot with its win over the Patriots on Saturday. It’s the first step in joining a very small club: only three teams have returned to the Super Bowl and won a year after losing.

4. Jaguars (7-8)

Up five from last week

Remaining schedule: at Houston (2-12-1), vs. Tennessee (7-8)

Opponents’ record: 9-20-1 (.305)

The skinny: Jacksonville, which has the easiest remaining slate of anyone on this list in terms of opponents’ winning percentage started 3-7. The only team in the post-merger era to win just three of its first 10 and reach the postseason was the Washington Football Team in 2020.

5. Ravens (10-5)

Unchanged from last week

Remaining schedule: vs. Steelers (7-8), at Bengals (11-4).

Opponents’ record: 18-22 (.600)

The skinny: With their win over the Falcons last weekend, the Ravens swept the NFC South. They swept an NFC division for the fourth time in franchise history, and the third time in the past four seasons.

6. Chargers (9-6)

Up two from last week

Remaining schedule: vs. Rams (5-10), at Broncos (4-11).

Opponents’ record: 9-21 (.300)

The skinny: Los Angeles clinched a playoff spot with Monday’s win over the Colts. It’ll mark just the third trip to the postseason in the last 13 seasons for the Chargers. In addition, one more win would assure them of their second double-digit win season in that same span.

7. Dolphins (8-7)

Unchanged from last week

Remaining schedule: at Patriots (7-8), vs. Jets (7-8)

Opponents’ record: 14-16 (.467)

The skinny: Two takeaways from Miami’s loss: One, no team that has lost four straight in December has reached the playoffs. And two, according to ESPN Stats & Information, with interceptions on three consecutive drives in the fourth quarter Sunday, Tua Tagovailoa became the first Dolphins quarterback to throw three interceptions in the fourth quarter since Chad Henne in 2009.

On the bubble

(7-8 teams that are are technically still alive)

8. Patriots (7-8)

Unchanged from last week

Remaining schedule: vs. Dolphins (8-7), at Bills (11-4)

Opponents’ record: 19-11 (.633)

The skinny: On Sunday against the Bengals, Marcus Jones returned a 69-yard pick-6, giving him an offensive, defensive, and special teams touchdown on the season. He’s the first New England player to do so, and the first NFL player to do so in at least the last 45 years, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The only other player in the Super Bowl era to score a 40-plus yard touchdown in each of those ways in their entire career is Deion Sanders.

9. Jets (7-8)

Unchanged from last week

Remaining schedule: at Seahawks (7-8), at Dolphins (8-7)

Opponents’ record: 15-15 (.500)

The skinny: If the Jets lose out on the playoffs this year — and unless there’s a miracle, it appears that’ll be the case — their postseason drought will hit 12 years, the longest in the NFL. However, if New York can win its last two games, it would mark the first plus-.500 season for the Jets since 2015.

10. Titans (7-8)

Down six from last week

Remaining schedule: vs. Cowboys (11-4), at Jaguars (7-8).

Opponents’ record: 18-12 (.600)

The skinny: A month ago, the Titans were third in the AFC playoff picture at 7-3 and sailing toward the postseason. Then, their GM was canned, their starting quarterback went down for the season, and they’ve lost five straight. Yikes.

11. Steelers (7-8)

Up two from last week

Remaining schedule: at Ravens (10-5), vs. Browns (6-9).

Opponents’ record: 16-14 (.533)

The skinny: Pittsburgh may be the longest of long shots to reach the postseason, but the Steelers are still playing for franchise pride. Pittsburgh needs to win both its remaining games to guarantee it won’t finish with a losing record. A sub-.500 mark for the Steelers would snap a streak of 18 consecutive seasons without a losing record — the third-longest streak in NFL history after the Cowboys (21 straight from 1965 to 1985) and Patriots (19 straight from 2001 to 2019).