NFL

AFC Playoff Picture, Week 17

Posted Dec 25, 2007 12:00PM By David J. Warner (RSS feed)

Filed Under: AFC East, AFC North, AFC South, AFC West, NFL Playoffs, The Word

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It's Christmas Day in America today, and five AFC teams already have a gift-wrapped box under the tree with a shiny new playoff berth inside. Who will join them as the sixth team? Let's take a closer look at the situation.

Seed
Team
Record
Div.
Conf.
1
New England Patriots*
15-0
6-0
12-0
2
Indianapolis Colts*
13-2
5-0
9-2
3
San Diego Chargers*
10-5
4-1
9-3
4
Pittsburgh Steelers*
10-5
5-0
7-4
5
Jacksonville Jaguars+
11-4
2-3
7-3
6
Cleveland Browns
9-6
3-2
7-5
--
Tennessee Titans
9-6
3-2
6-5

* - Clinched division title.
+ - Clinched playoff berth.

TIEBREAKERS:

  • San Diego has the tiebreaker on Pittsburgh based on conference record.
  • Cleveland has the tiebreaker on Tennessee based on conference record, but one game could change that.

So here are the five teams in the playoffs and where they stand today:

1.) New England Patriots. Clinched the AFC East title, a first-round bye, and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

2.) Indianapolis Colts. Clinched the AFC South title and a first-round bye.

3.) San Diego Chargers. Clinched the AFC West title. Can clinch the #3 seed with one more victory.

4.) Pittsburgh Steelers. Clinched the AFC North title. Can clinch the #3 seed with a win and a San Diego loss.

5.) Jacksonville Jaguars. Clinched the first Wild Card berth and the #5 seed.

It's that sixth team that remains a mystery at this stage. Right now, Cleveland still has the #6 seed over Tennessee based on their conference record, but the Browns do not control their own destiny. It's all on the Titans.

Why? Simply put, if the Titans lose to the Colts next Sunday, the Browns finish the season with a better conference record (7-5) than the Titans (6-6). However, if the Titans win, they both finish with a conference record of 7-5, and it falls to the next tiebreaker, which is record against common opponents. The Titans and Browns have four common opponents -- the Bengals, Jets, Raiders and Texans. The Titans are 4-1 against those teams. The Browns are 3-2. Hence, a Titans victory puts them in the playoffs.

There's one other matter to decide in the AFC, and that's where Jacksonville is going for their first playoff game. So the games listed below will have playoff implications. (No, the Patriots @ Giants isn't listed, because while it have great historical implications, it has no bearing on the playoff race.)

THIS WEEK'S IMPACT GAMES (All Times Eastern):

  • Tennessee Titans @ Indianapolis Colts (SUN, 8:15 PM, NBC). Suffice to say, the Cleveland Browns want Jim Sorgi to stay on the sidelines all night.

  • San Diego Chargers @ Oakland Raiders (SUN, 4:15 PM, CBS). The Chargers need a win to avoid Jacksonville in the first round. They beat the Titans in Nashville earlier this month, and I suspect Cleveland is an easier opponent than Jacksonville right now.

  • Pittsburgh Steelers @ Baltimore Ravens (SUN, 4:15 PM, CBS). The Steelers will want to beat this team on general principle, but this will also be a good tune-up for the playoffs. Maybe they should focus on their run defense.

Click here for the latest NFC playoff picture.

Tags: AFCPlayoffPicture

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