The New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers headline the field in the AFC Playoffs. Will Tom Brady and Bill Belichick get another ring?
The field is set for the AFC Playoffs, as the Houston Texans, Kansas City Chiefs, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, Oakland Raiders, and the Pittsburgh Steelers all punched their tickets to the second season.The Patriots locked up the number one seed with a rout of the New York Jets on Saturday, but other seeds will be decided in Week 17. The AFC West title has yet to be decided, as the Oakland Raiders can seal their first division title in fourteen years.
Here are the early power rankings for the AFC Playoff competitors:
6. Houston Texans
A rollercoaster ride would be an understatement in describing the Houston Texans’ 2016 season. If losing All-Pro Defensive Superstar J.J. Watt wasn’t enough, Week 15 saw Coach Bill O’Brien bench his $72 million dollar quarterback, Brock Osweiler, for 2014 fourth-round pick Tom Savage.
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Regardless of the obstacles that the Texans had to overcome, they were able to grind out a 12-10 win over the Cincinnati Bengals to claim the AFC South title. It has recently been reported that Savage will start the season finale against the Tennessee Titans, almost certainly cementing his status as the starting quarterback in the AFC Wild Card Round of the playoffs.
It has recently been reported that Savage will start the season finale against the Tennessee Titans, almost certainly cementing his status as the starting quarterback in the AFC Wild Card Round of the playoffs.
5. Oakland Raiders
With a win against Denver on New Year’s Day, the Oakland Raiders would wrap up the AFC West title and break a 12-year playoff drought — that’s the good news. However,
However, Derek Carr‘s season was ended on Saturday due to a broken leg.
Jack Del Rio will need to turn to Penn State alum Matt McGloin to lead Oakland’s potent offense. It’s a detrimental blow to a team who has shown dominance on both sides of the ball and had an opportunity to advance deep into the playoffs for the first time since 2003, the year they last played in the AFC Championship Game.
4. Miami Dolphins
A knee injury to Ryan Tannehill forced Miami Dolphins’ coach Adam Gase to call on capable backup Matt Moore to lead the Fins to a playoff berth. Matt Moore did just that, throwing four touchdowns for the first time in his nine-year career in a Week 15 matchup against the rivaled New York Jets.
Moore followed up his stellar performance this week, leading Miami past another divisional rival, the Buffalo Bills. For the Bills, this could be the final nail in the coffin of head coach Rex Ryan’s tenure in Buffalo. Coach Gase will want to limit
Coach Gase will want to limit the use of his starters in the final game of the season against Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. Keeping star running back Jay Ajayi will be key if the Dolphins are to shock the NFL world in the playoffs.
3. Kansas City Chiefs
There is something to be said about stability. Andy Reid has defined his head coaching career by his constant regular season success. Beginning with his days in Philadelphia, Reid has lead his teams to the playoffs in 12 of his 18 seasons.
2016 has been one of his best yet. Since a 43-14 thrashing by the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 4, the Chiefs have tallied nine wins, with their two losses coming by a combined four points. They have an opportunity to claim the AFC West title with a win against the San Diego Chargers and an Oakland loss to the Denver Broncos. The AFC West title is especially meaningful this year, as it would lock up the number two seed and secure a bye week in the playoffs.
The AFC West title is especially meaningful this year, as it would lock up the number two seed and secure a bye week in the playoffs.
2. Pittsburgh Steelers
Legendary Steelers’ quarterback Terry Bradshaw made waves this week when he said about Coach Mike Tomlin, “I don’t think he is a great coach at all. His name never even pops in my mind when we think about great coaches in the NFL.” Comments aside, with
Comments aside, with Ben Roethlisberger, Le’Veon Bell, and Antonio Brown, Tomlin has the rare disposal of a multi-dimensional offense like this one. With an early injury to Roethlisberger and suspension of Le’Veon Bell now in the past, the Steelers appear to be the team most equipped to knock off 2014 NFL Champions, the New England Patriots.
1. New England Patriots
Another year, another AFC East title. Bill Belichick and Tom Brady have made a mockery of that division for more than a decade.
At age 39, love him or hate him, Tom Brady is still the best in the game. The career MVP turns the “no name” position players of the Patriots into household names. The biggest foe the New England Patriots may face will be the Pittsburgh Steelers, a team they beat in Week 7, 27-16.
That game was missing one key player for the Steelers in Ben Roethlisberger. The Patriots can close out the regular season at a 14-2 mark with a win over their divisional rivals, the Miami Dolphins.