With 12 teams still .500 or better through 12 weeks in the season, the AFC continues to be the most unpredictable conference in years.
Regardless of what happens in the AFC, the wild card playoff race looks poised to come down to the final weekend of the regular season.
This is a ranking of the teams competing for a wild-card spot in the AFC.
A sweep of the Patriots and the Bills are essentially a lock for the division crown, but the AFC East appears to have two teams as a lock for the playoffs.
The Bengals have a top-10 offense and defense to handle the challenge, but going 3-3 over the final six games should be enough to get them in the postseason.
Indianapolis is 10th in the standings, yet only a half game out of the final playoff spot with the Texans and Jaguars on the schedule.
A win would have put Los Angeles in first place in the AFC West and in excellent shape to reach the playoffs.
A loss to the Ravens hurt the Browns in the AFC North, but Cleveland is still a half game out of the final playoff spot in the conference — despite being 12th in the standings.
The Raiders will be overcoming a lot of adversity the rest of the year, yet have handled the challenge of an interim coach and the Henry Ruggs incident well.
The Broncos have a tough road to the playoffs in a crowded conference with better teams. They’ll be in every game, but the margin for error is slim — especially with two matchups with the Chiefs in their final six games.
The Dolphins still have the longest of long shots to make the playoffs, but have won four in a row and are one of the hottest teams in the AFC.
Hard to count out any Mike Tomlin-coached team, but the Steelers have an aging roster with a quarterback that could be spending his last year with the only pro franchise he’s ever played for.