Analysis of the AFC Playoff Picture

After Week 8 of the NFL, we have an idea of which teams have the most momentum going into the second half of the season. During this analysis, I will be going through the entire AFC Playoff picture, giving insight into all current playoff teams. 

Divisional Leaders

The Buffalo Bills lead the entire AFC with a record of 6-1 on the year. They are the only team in the AFC with only one loss. This defeat came against their division rival in week 3 when they suffered a 21-19 loss against the Miami Dolphins. The Bills have been one of the teams to beat this year, with MVP candidate Josh Allen and his talented WR duo of Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis. Despite having several key defensive players injured throughout the year, such as Jordan Poyer, Micah Hyde and Tre’Davious White, the Buffalo Bills have had great success against top teams such as the Chiefs, Ravens and Titans. The Bills have a one-win lead over the division rival Dolphins and Jets. 

Next up, the Tennessee Titans are the leaders of the AFC South with a record of 5-2. Despite being top of their respective division, the Titans have yet to beat a proven opponent. Their only wins have come from the Texans, Colts, Commanders, and Raiders. Those teams have a combined 10 wins between the 4 of them. A lot of their success this year can be attributed to star running back Derrick Henry. Henry has contributed 895 total scrimmage yards to pair with 7 touchdowns. Being in a weak division like the AFC South, the Titans should have a pretty good chance to reach the playoffs, as long as key players stay healthy during the remainder of the year. 

Now for the Kansas City Chiefs. The leader of the AFC West is 5-2 coming off of a week 8 bye. This Patrick Mahomes led offence is one of the hottest in the league right now. With Travis Kelce stepping up to take over some of Tyreek Hill’s targets, the Chiefs’ offence picked up right where they left off last season. Despite having some inconsistency within the WR room, top wide receivers Smith-Schuster and Valdes-Scantling have been stepping up over the last few weeks. The Chiefs also just added a low-risk, high-reward weapon from the New York Giants. Kadarius Toney was sent to the Chiefs for 2023 3rd and 6th-round picks. Although he has dealt with many injuries and attitude issues, Kadarius Toney is looking to start fresh with Mahomes and the red-hot Chiefs offence. 

The last of the AFC Divisional leaders are the Baltimore Ravens. They hold a record of 5-3 and have some key victories against the Patriots, Bengals, and Jets. Although they have 3 losses, they were all against playoff-seeded teams. Each of these losses was by 4 points or fewer, which tells you the potential of this Ravens roster. A key bright spot for the Ravens is the performances of the rookies. Kyle Hamilton and Tyler Lindenbaum have helped the Ravens’ weak spots despite being in their first year. One of the main concerns for the Ravens is the consistent injuries on the offence. Players such as Mark Andrews, J.K Dobbins, and Rashod Bateman have all been dealing with new and reoccurring injuries throughout the season. Lamar Jackson has continued to impress while helping the Ravens get to 5 wins on the year. 

Wild Card Teams

The first of the Wild Card teams are the New York Jets. The Jets are second in the AFC East with a record of 5-3. They have a few key victories against the Browns, Dolphins, and Packers. But this Jets team has been struggling to produce consistent offensive performances. Despite the lack of offence this year, the Jets have been shutting down their opponents with a young and developing defence. With rookie cornerback Sauce Gardner having a DROY campaign, and defensive end Quinnen Williams having a dominant season, the Jets have brought their defence to the next level. The New York Jets may be second in their division so far, but they have the 5-win Miami Dolphins, and the 4-win New England Patriots right behind them. 

The second of the Wild Card teams are the 5-3 Miami Dolphins. During weeks 4-6, they went winless due to missing Tua Tagovailoa, but they bounced back after with two crucial wins. This Miami Dolphins team has defeated some tough competition, with wins against the Patriots, Ravens, and Bills. Part of their success stems from the chemistry forming between Tua Tagovailoa and his duo of superstar wide receivers. Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle have been setting a historic pace, putting up nearly 1700 combined receiving yards. Miami’s GM went to work during the trade deadline, picking up key pieces to bolster both sides of the football. The first pickup was Pro Bowl OLB Bradley Chubb from the Denver Broncos. Pairing Chubb with the current defence helps builds a core of rushers that will alleviate stress from the injured secondary. The second pickup was running back Jeff Wilson Jr. who was brought in from San Francisco. Wilson already has experience in a McDaniel run offence, which will make it easy for the Dolphins to use him right away. 

 The last of the Wild Card teams are the Los Angeles Chargers. The 4-3 Chargers have been nothing special this year, in regard to whom they have beaten. All four of their victories have come against teams who are below a .500-win percentage on the season. To be fair, third-year quarterback Justin Herbert has dealt with many of his weapons missing games this season. Both star receivers Keenan Allen and Mike Williams have been dealing with injuries on and off throughout the season. We will see within the next few weeks whether the Chargers can keep up with talented rosters such as the 49ers, Chiefs and Dolphins. 

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