The New England Patriots are no longer in contention for the No. 1 seed, with the Baltimore Ravens clinching that spot in Week 16. But the Patriots have a path to hold onto their No. 2 seed, which will grant them a much-needed first-round bye. New England needs to get a win over the Miami Dolphins (4-11) in Week 17 at Gillette Stadium. The Patriots sit as 14-point favorites in that game, which bodes well for the team earning a week of rest before their first playoff matchup.
A Patriots’ loss in Week 17 would prove costly. The Kansas City Chiefs have the lowly Los Angeles Chargers next week, and are likely to log a win. A Patriots’ loss and Chiefs’ win would put Kansas City into the No. 2 seed, which would leave New England playing during wild-card weekend.
Here’s a look at the standings with one week remaining in the regular season.
1. (*) Baltimore Ravens (13-2)
2. (y) New England Patriots (12-3)
3. (y) Kansas City Chiefs (11-4)
4. (x) Houston Texans (10-5)
5. (x) Buffalo Bills (10-5)
6. Tennessee Titans (8-7)
7. Pittsburgh Steelers (8-7)
9. Oakland Raiders (7-8)
(x) clinched playoff berth
(y) clinched division title
(z) clinched first-round bye
(*) clinched home-field advantage
While the seeding in the AFC is hardly set, the standings could be subject to change. The Patriots, Chiefs, Texans and Bills could all end in a different seed than the one they are in now. The Titans are the one AFC team on the playoff bubble. They have the Steelers and Raiders hoping for a sequence of hypotheticals to land them in the playoffs. But a Titans’ win would keep them in the playoffs,.
