Broncos take AFC’s No. 1 seed from Patriots – NBC Boston

Whereas the New England Patriots loved their bye week, the Denver Broncos climbed again on prime within the AFC standings.

Denver defeated the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 14 to enhance to 11-2 this season. New England additionally has an 11-2 document, however the Broncos will clinch any tiebreaker as a consequence of their higher document towards frequent opponents. The Patriots fell to the Raiders in Week 1.

The battle for the No. 1 seed is not the one entertaining AFC storyline with 4 weeks left within the common season. The Pittsburgh Steelers surprised Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens to take the highest spot within the AFC North and ship Baltimore down a number of spots within the AFC standings. The Indianapolis Colts (8-5) misplaced quarterback Daniel Jones to an Achilles tear whereas falling to the Jacksonville Jaguars (9-4), who at present have the No. 3 seed. The Buffalo Payments (9-4) outlasted the Joe Burrow-led Cincinnati Bengals (4-9) throughout an exhilarating showdown within the snow.

This is a glance the AFC playoff image, from present standings to the race for seeding to present postseason matchups if the season ended immediately:

Present AFC Standings

The Broncos have regained the AFC’s No. 1 seed after their win over the Raiders. The Patriots are tied with an 11-2 document, however Denver has the tiebreaker for playoff seeding as a consequence of its higher document towards frequent opponents. New England misplaced in Week 1 to Las Vegas.

1. Denver Broncos (11-2, AFC West chief)
2. New England Patriots (11-2, AFC East chief)
3. Jacksonville Jaguars (9-4, AFC South chief)
4. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-6, AFC North chief)
5. Buffalo Payments (9-4)
6. Los Angeles Chargers (8-4)
7. Indianapolis Colts (8-5)
8. Houston Texans (7-5)
9. Kansas Metropolis Chiefs (6-6)
10. Baltimore Ravens (6-7)

Race for the No. 1 seed

The Patriots’ reign atop the AFC was short-lived because the Broncos regained the highest spot with their win over the Raiders.

This is a have a look at the remaining schedules for New England and Denver:

• Patriots: vs. Payments, at Ravens, at Jets, vs. Dolphins
• Broncos: vs. Packers, vs. Jaguars, at Chiefs, vs. Chargers

Race for the AFC East

The Patriots’ lead over the Payments is down to 2 video games after Buffalo defeated Cincinnati Sunday. Their “magic number” to win the AFC East is three, that means any mixture of three Patriots wins/Payments losses will clinch the division for New England.

If it comes all the way down to a tiebreaker, the Patriots are in an awesome spot. After head-to-head matchup (New England beat Buffalo in Week 5), the second tiebreaker for divisional opponents is in-division document. The Patriots are at present 3-0 towards the AFC East, whereas Buffalo is 2-2.

Three of the Patriots’ subsequent 4 video games are towards AFC East rivals. This is a have a look at the remaining schedules for New England and Buffalo:

• Patriots: vs. Payments, at Ravens, at Jets, vs. Dolphins
• Payments: vs. Patriots, at Browns, vs. Eagles, vs. Jets

Present playoff matchups

If the season ended immediately, here is what the AFC Wild Card spherical would appear like:

• No. 1 Broncos: BYE
• No. 2 Patriots vs. No. 7 Colts
• No. 3 Jaguars vs. No. 6 Chargers
• No. 4 Steelers vs. No. 5 Payments