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Now that Week 14 of the NFL is done, we are getting clarity on all the wild card spots. Playoff spots are especially at a premium for teams that have not been head and shoulders above the other teams this year, but are coming to get some sort of game going to make the postseason.
The AFC is bunched tight, especially with regards to the wild card spots. Now, when we are considering wild card spots, we are ignoring the top four of each division that have an automatic berth. Similarly, if any of the second-placed teams in a division, like the Los Angeles Chargers in the AFC West, have the same win-loss ratio (8-5 in this example) as the top teams in another division, like the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC North, we are considering them direct entries and not in play for wild card spots.
Also read: NFL Power Rankings Week 15: Where does every AFC team stand?
This exercise leaves us with five teams, each with a 7-6 record in the AFC, fighting for wild card spots in the conference.
Teams currently occupying wild card spots
#1 - Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are back in playoff contention, mainly due to the exploits of Jonathan Taylor. The presumptive nominee for NFL MVP this year has been responsible for much of the workload that sees the Colts in contention for wild card spots.
Against Super Bowl favorites such as the Tennessee Titans and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Colts have lost by three and seven points respectively and given a good account of themselves. These are the Colts' only two losses in their last eight games. It points to strong form leading into the end of the season as they look to lock down one of the wild card spots.
#2 - Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills were Super Bowl favorites for much of the early part of the season. Josh Allen was balling hard and the defense was the meanest across yards and points. Then they faced the Indianapolis Colts, where Jonathan Taylor showed the rest of the league how they could be defeated, and now they find themselves behind them in the wild card spots calculation.
The Bills have lost three of their last four games, but their performance against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would have given them heart as they pulled off a comeback for the ages in regular time, only to then lose in overtime.
They will be looking to use their experience from last season, when they went all the way to the AFC Championship game, to good effect, and make their way to the playoffs via the wild card spots.
Also Check Out: Complete NFL Week 15 TV Schedule
Teams vying to occupy wild card spots
#3 - Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are just outside the wild card spots but are on a record identical to all other teams on the list. Just a few short weeks ago, as Odell Beckham Jr. left, most observers had written the Cleveland Browns off. But this Browns team is not like its recent predecessors; it does not fold quite so easily.
The thing that is working against them having a relatively more comfortable path to the wild card spots is their tendency to blow hot and cold. They have won four of their last eight games, three of their last six, two of their last four and one of their last two. It seems the moment they get a win, they follow it up with a loss.
If the Cleveland Browns could go on a winning spree by winning at least two or three games on the trot, they would really be in contention to make one of the wild card spots in the AFC.
#4 - Cincinnati Bengals
If the Cleveland Browns have the tendency to win alternate matches, the Cincinnati Bengals seem to be stuck in a loop of winning two games and then losing two games going back to a sequence of eight games. When they play well, both their passing game and running game kicks in and helps them beat their rivals.
Also read: 2021 NFL Playoff Picture Week 14 - 5 AFC teams who can finish as the top seed
If the Cincinnati Bengals are to make one of the last wild card spots, they need to improve on their consistency. They have lost their last two games on the bounce to the Los Angeles Chargers and the San Francisco 49ers, and will be hoping that their current trend holds and they win their upcoming couple of matches, and then hopefully the last two as well.
#5 - Denver Broncos
The last team on our list of AFC teams that can make wild card spots are the Denver Broncos. Their next match against the Cincinnati Bengals will be critical for both franchises.
For most teams in contention, we have talked of their offensive prowess, but the Denver Broncos are a team led by their defense. They are second across the NFL when it comes to allowing points per game (17.5 points per game), second only to the New England Patriots.
The Broncos have won four of their last six matches and will be looking to ensure they get one of the wild card spots.
