AFC Playoff Picture: From Chiefs to Browns, contenders in flux Published: Dec 18, 2018 at 07:12 AM Digital Content Editor If you're feeling unsettled, unsure of yourself or simply confused this holiday season, then you and the American Football Conference have something in common. Unlike you, however, the AFC will resolve its i sues and question marks over the next 13 days. In the NFC, things feel fixed. Three divisions have been clinched, and the only spot truly up for grabs is the conference's sixth seed. Things are not so quaint in the AFC. The younger league boasts just two confirmed playoff teams and zero crowned division champions with two weeks left to go in the season -- and there's a Derek Holland Jersey po sibility that could be the case heading into Week 17, too. Don't believe me? Ask these standings, friend: 1) (11-3): -- clinched playoff berth2) (10-4):3) (9-5):4) (8-5-1):5) (11-3): -- clinched playoff berth6) (8-6): IN THE HUNT: (8-6): (8-6): (7-7): (6-7-1): If that doesn't clear things up for you -- and it shouldn't -- here's a more in-depth look at the gridiron Rorschach test that is the AFC playoff picture heading into Week 16: AFC South This division is all but locked up for the , who are more focused at this point on securing a first-round bye. One win over Philadelphia or Jacksonville would a sure Houston a home game in January. If the fail to close out the season with one more victory, however, the or can steal the division with a perfect two weeks. There's also a distant po sibility that Houston could mi s the playoffs entirely. Indianapolis and Tenne see finish the year against each other in Nashville in what could be a play-in game, with either the division title or the sixth spot in the AFC at stake. As things stand right now, this Colts- clash is the front-runner to be the flexed "Sunday Night Football" game for Week 17. A lo s and win on Saturday would give Tenne see control of its destiny in the wild-card race, hence ensuring the IND-TEN contest would have significant playoff implications. But more on that below ... AFC East For New England, it's easy -- or at least, it should be. The have whiffed on division-clinching scenarios in back-to-back weeks, going from to in Week 15. But with only home games against AFC East also-rans in the and remaining, it is highly, extremely, so, so, so freakin' unlikely that New England blows this. If, by an act of Mike Gerber Jersey an old-testament or the indiscriminate hammer of Father Time, the lose four straight to close out 2018 and the also win out against the and , then New England will surrender its division crown for the first time since 2008. But for all intents and purposes of this exercise, the Pats are East champs once again. Let's move on. AFC West Both Los Angeles and Kansas City have clinched berths, but the division crown remains in balance and could be so until Week 17. Even after at Arrowhead Stadium on Thursday night, the still control their path to a West title, due to their superior division record. But K.C. faces the toughest test on Sunday night of the two clubs' remaining four combined games: against Seattle Seattle. If the lose on Saturday night to the , the can clinch the division and a first-round bye with a win over the . Reverse those outcomes, and L.A. can clinch the division with a win in Denver in Week 17. Whichever team wins the division is very likely to have a first-round bye and is also likely to have home-field advantage throughout the postseason. No big deal. AFC North Pittsburgh stopped a three-game losing skid and maintained control of the AFC North with its , but with just a half-game lead over the and a dangerous meeting with the up next, the can't let up. Pittsburgh is still at risk of losing the division and even a playoff berth if it stumbles in New Orleans and Baltimore upsets the . However Dave Dravecky Jersey , the can also clinch the division this week if the lose in Carson on Saturday night and the defeat the in the Superdome on Sunday afternoon. They can't win the North, but they can still slip into the postseason and YOU WON'T BELIEVE HOW THEY CAN DO IT!!! (That's a tease for later.) First-round bye No AFC team has clinched a division, and therefore, no club has clinched a first-round bye. However, the AFC West champion is almost guaranteed to enjoy Wild Card Weekend from the 19th Hole. Every team still in the hunt, save for the and , can potentially secure a bye, but the clubs that are the most likely to do so at this point are the and . Kansas City is considered the favorite to take the West and can guarantee a bye by both reaching 12 wins and clinching the division -- something the can do this weekend. Though New England is currently a game back of Houston, the have an easier schedule. If the lose just one of their final two -- most likely to Philadelphia -- and the Pats win out, New England will be in position for a bye, thanks to its victory over Houston . The winner of the AFC North -- Pittsburgh or Baltimore -- is also eligible for a bye if Houston and New England collapse, as are Reyes Moronta Jersey the and , who are both currently on the outside looking in. Wild-card race And now, it's chaos. Every team listed in this article could potentially be a wild-card team, from the currently top-seeded to the desperate . The are the only team that can clinch a wild-card berth this week, with a lo s and a win. The No. 5 seed will go to the runner-up in the AFC West. The No. 6 seed could go to the , , , , , , or . Take your pick! As things stand, the control their destiny in this matter. However, if they lose to the , that opens the door for the or to enter Week 17 with the upper hand. If both Tenne see and Indianapolis win this weekend Baltimore loses, the two South rivals will enter the final week in a win-or-go-home scenario. Miami can sneak back into the picture if all three teams lose this weekend. As for Cleveland ... So you're saying there's a chance ... Believe it or not, the can still make the playoffs in the AFC's overcrowded wild-card race. It will take one specific -- but not improbable -- confluence of events. The winning scenario is as follows: 1) lose to in Nashville on Saturday afternoon2) lose to in Carson on Saturday evening3) beat in Cleveland on Sunday4) lose to in Indianapolis on Sunday5) upset in Baltimore in Week 176) lose either to in Miami in Week 16 or to in Orchard Park in Week 177) , tie in Nashville, in front of Al, Cris, Blank Jersey Michele and the World Memorize that script. By. The. Word. It will be on the final. Elimination station Of course! Not literally yesterday, but I get what you mean, sa sy voice. If anything from that script listed above doesn't occur this week, then Cleveland is done. If the lose at home to and the , then the Fish are fried, and deservedly so. The can also be bounced if they lose to Washington, the beat the and the top the . Other than that, we're stuck with these myriad if-then scenarios for at least 12 more days. My me sage to the overwhelmed: Embrace the uncertainty. Live in the chaos. Expect the unexpected, or better yet, expect nothing at all. This article has been reproduced in a new format and may be mi sing content or contain faulty links. Please use the Contact Us link in our site footer to report an i sue.