AFC Playoff Picture: Chiefs' Conference Lead Grows Heading Into Week 15

The Kansas City Chiefs took care of business in Week 14, securing a win over the Los Angeles Chargers and locking up the AFC West in the process. Not only do the reigning Super Bowl champions now have a guaranteed home playoff game, but they helped their case in the AFC standings and got some assistance from the outside as well.

Where does Andy Reid's squad rank entering Week 15's play, and what does the competition look like? Let's examine the AFC playoff picture for a better look at who's tracking to make the postseason.

* indicates a team that has clinched a playoff spot.

1: Kansas City Chiefs (12-1)*

Sunday's win against Los Angeles was a big-time feat for the Chiefs. Now with 12 wins on the year, they are headed back to the postseason for the 10th year in a row. Thanks to the Los Angeles Rams' Week 14 win over the Buffalo Bills, Kansas City also expanded its lead for the one-seed in the AFC. A two-win advantage gives Patrick Mahomes and company the inside edge on a first-round bye, even with Buffalo's head-to-head tiebreaker advantage. This weekend's contest against the Cleveland Browns may not seem like a challenge, but going on the road with Myles Garrett waiting could prove to be a minor scare.

2: Buffalo Bills (10-3)*

With their loss in a 44-42 shootout on Sunday, the Bills desperately needed a Chiefs loss to help maintain a more favorable outlook within the conference. Kansas City didn't hold up its end of the bargain, and the news gets worse for current MVP favorite Josh Allen. Buffalo's Week 15 matchup is on the road against the Detroit Lions, who are either the best team in the NFC or the entire league. Sean McDermott's crew has their work cut out for them if they want to have a shot at making up the ground they lost.

3: Pittsburgh Steelers (10-3)

They're likely in the second tier of AFC contenders, but the Pittsburgh Steelers simply know how to win football games. Their formula of great defense and quarterback Russell Wilson turning back the clock is working with Mike Tomlin still leading the way. With that said, their upcoming schedule is frightening. Road games against the Philadelphia Eagles and Baltimore Ravens lead up to Christmas Day's Netflix battle against the Chiefs, then a regular-season finale versus the Cincinnati Bengals could also be tricky. A 2-2 stretch seems like the most probable outcome, which would put Pittsburgh at 12-5 to end the year.

4: Houston Texans (8-5)

In most other situations, the Houston Texans would either be on extremely thin ice within the division or simply living as a wild-card team. Because the AFC South is so bad, they're sitting pretty with a two-win lead over the Indianapolis Colts and don't even have to play them in their final four games. On the other hand, their next three weeks (versus the Miami Dolphins, at the Chiefs and versus the Ravens) are tough. How C.J. Stroud and Co. finish out the year could be a direct indicator of how feisty they will be come playoff time. Perhaps they look better coming off a bye week.

5: Baltimore Ravens (8-5)

After getting to 7-3 with a win over the Bengals in Week 10, Baltimore looked like a force to be reckoned with in the AFC. A challenging three-game stretch before the bye, however, saw them go 1-2 with both losses being by one score. Like Houston, maybe not having to play in Week 14 will be what helps them get back on track. Still getting to play the Steelers, they aren't out of the division race just yet. The Ravens have a juggernaut ceiling, although they rarely are able to hit it.

6: Los Angeles Chargers (8-5)

Despite dropping a close one to the Chiefs in Week 14, Jim Harbaugh's Chargers still have a high chance of making the playoffs. The AFC West is no longer in the picture but with one of the league's best defenses and quarterback Justin Herbert being a scrapper, this team appears to be a tough out and just proved it on Sunday. Back-to-back games against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Denver Broncos – two clubs also jockeying for playoff positioning – will be telling.

7: Denver Broncos (8-5)

Speaking of those Broncos, they've won three games in a row after losing to the Ravens and Chiefs. The Sean Payton pairing with Bo Nix appears to be working and when combined with one of football's top defenses, it makes for a decent product. While no one will be picking Denver to make a deep playoff run, they seem to have a reasonably high floor as a respectable team that currently projects as the AFC's seven-seed. They face four challenging opponents to close out the year, though.

In the hunt: Indianapolis Colts (6-7), Miami Dolphins (6-7), Cincinnati Bengals (5-8)

Coming off their bye week, the Colts will be looking to stabilize after going 2-4 in their last six games (including 2-2 in their last four). Miami, on the other hand, is 4-1 in its last five and suddenly is back in the mix with an outside shot to make a run at the postseason if things break right. Cincinnati has the lowest remaining playoff odds among those who haven't been eliminated – they need to win out and get some help to earn a favorable outcome.