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AFC playoff picture and where Oakland fits in heading into week 9

Lo and behold, it is Monday again, and this week was a bit of a strange one, what with the near-upset of the Ravens, the Rams deciding they didn't want to Suck for Luck anymore, and the Steelers knocking off the Pats.

Divisional races just got a bit tighter. Your 2011 NFL playoff picture is after the jump...

Here's your playoff picture. All 4 divisional races are tight,and not all of this weekend's games helped the Raiders.

Pittsburgh (6-2)

New England (5-2)

Baltimore (5-2)

Cincinatti (5-2)

Buffalo (5-2)

San Diego (4-2)

Houston (5-3)

Oakland (4-3 and salivating over Tebow)

New York (4-3)

Tennessee (4-3)

Kansas City (3-3)

A few things to consider:

Buffalo is now tied with NE for the AFC East divisional lead, with the Jets a game back. New York, being on a bye week, plays Buffalo next week. This makes things difficult for the Raiders, as both New England and Buffalo have tiebreakers over the Raiders.

Meanwhile, Houston and Tennessee both won. As Oakland has beaten Houston, which currently leads the AFC South, we need to cheer for Tennessee from here on out.

In addition, all 3 AFC North contenders won. This division could prove to be a headache for the Raiders, especially as they don't play any of those contenders from here on out.

Finally, we have the all-important game tonight between the Chargers and the Chiefs, which will have big implications.