Just two weeks remain to sort out the playoff picture. A win on Sunday, combined with the Chiefs losing, put the Raiders in the driver’s seat in the AFC West and back in line for a top seed. It also made them the only team that could overtake the Patriots for the number one seed.
Here is the AFC playoff picture as of now.
1. Patriots 12-2 (AFC East)
2. Raiders 11-3 (AFC West)
3. Steelers 9-5 (AFC North)
4. Texans 8-6 (AFC South)
5. Chiefs 10-4 (Wild Card)
6. Dolphins 9-5 (Wild Card)
As you can see, the Patriots are one game ahead of the Raiders. Should the Patriots lose a game (or two) and the Raiders finish with the same record, the Raiders would win the tiebreaker and take the number one seed that they had in hand two weeks ago.
A top seed would mean a first round bye and home field in the division round. The number one seed would mean a first round bye and home field advantage throughout the playoffs.
Next up for the Raiders are the 7-7 Colts in Oakland and a trip to Denver to face the 8-6 Broncos. Meanwhile the Patriots face the hapless Jets at home and head to Miami to face the 9-5 Dolphins in the finale.
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