Week 16 AFC Playoff Picture: KC Chiefs Must Keep Pace

There's a unique opportunity ahead of the Chiefs this week, although they still need help to reach their ultimate ceiling.

The Kansas City Chiefs can lock up another AFC West title if they take care of business in Week 16, but they have bigger goals in mind.

Andy Reid's squad is still two games back of the Baltimore Ravens and one game behind the Miami Dolphins in the AFC race. A Sunday win over the New England Patriots assisted in avoiding disaster, but Kansas City still needs plenty of help moving forward if it wants to come back and secure the one-seed in the conference. That starts with handling the Las Vegas Raiders on Christmas and letting everything else handle itself. 

With the postseason approaching, which teams are threats to Kansas City in the conference? Are there any clubs set to potentially rise or fall in the coming weeks? Let's take a look at the Week 16 AFC playoff picture and find out.

1: Baltimore Ravens (11-3)

Lamar Jackson and the Ravens were far from perfect in Week 15, uet they were certainly good enough to take down the Jacksonville Jaguars. This year's Baltimore team checks just about every box in the regular season, especially with such great production on both sides of the ball. The only question for them moving forward is whether Jackson and Co. can get it done in the games that matter the most. Monday's outing on the road versus the San Francisco 49ers is a massive opportunity to silence the doubters. 

2: Miami Dolphins (10-4)

Following a brutal loss to the Tennessee Titans, Mike McDaniel's Dolphins bounced back in a major way by shutting out the New York Jets on Sunday. Like Baltimore, Miami's issue in the eyes of analysts and fans alike is a perceived inability to beat high-quality opponents consistently. This weekend's game against the Dallas Cowboys marks the start of a very challenging three-game stretch to close the regular season.

3: Kansas City Chiefs (9-5)

The Tour de Backups continues for Kansas City this week. Aidan O'Connell and company come rolling into town looking to play the spoiler role, although the Chiefs are well aware that every game from here on out is a must-win. The combination of desperation and a favorable schedule relative to Miami and Baltimore gives Reid's team some hope, but it's a moot point without a victory here.

4: Jacksonville Jaguars (8-6)

At one point, Doug Pederson's Jaguars were 8-3 and even had their eyes set on a high playoff seed in the AFC. After three straight losses, however, they're now scrambling just to win the AFC South and avoid playing a road playoff game in the first weekend of the postseason. Things may not come easily for Trevor Lawrence and Jacksonville on Sunday either, as the resurgent Tampa Bay Buccaneers are playing host in a suddenly big-time interconference game for both sides. 

5: Cleveland Browns (9-5)

Since Joe Flacco took over as the Cleveland Browns' starter, they've had the vibe of a slightly different team. Their defense is still terrific but if the offense can give the other side of the ball any sort of contribution, Kevin Stefanski's squad can be a sneaky tough team to beat. Cleveland has to get to the playoffs first, though, and two of its last three games are against playoff hopefuls in the AFC. The Houston Texans are first up on Sunday. 

6: Cincinnati Bengals (8-6)

Another team with a backup? The Bengals didn't appear to get the memo that their season was over when Joe Burrow went down with an injury. After Jake Browning lost his first start of the season in Week 12 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, he's helped Cincinnati rattle off three thrilling wins in a row. The Bengals close against the Steelers (again), Chiefs and Browns, so things will undoubtedly be tough moving forward. On the other hand, they're kind of playing with house money already. 

7: Indianapolis Colts (8-6)

Speaking of playing with house money, there may not be a greater example of that than this year's Indianapolis Colts. They weren't expected to make playoffs with a healthy Anthony Richardson at the helm, so they certainly didn't seem to be poised to do so with Gardner Minshew leading the way. Despite that, Indy is 5-1 since a 3-5 start to the year and closes with three winnable games. Week 18's game against the Houston Texans could have massive playoff implications.

Close but no cigar: Houston Texans (8-6), Buffalo Bills (8-6), Pittsburgh Steelers (7-7), Denver Broncos (7-7)

CJ Stroud's health remains a question mark for this week, but the Texans are a frisky team that is squarely in the playoff race. The Buffalo Bills are surging and still have a ways to go, although they aren't playing like a wild-card club right now. Behind them, this week could make or break the Steelers and Denver Broncos' respective seasons. They got hot for a while but have since cooled at the wrong time. They have to heat back up in Week 16 if they want to possibly sneak into the playoffs.

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