The AFC wildcard race is so tight that it will come down to the end.
As we prepare to wrap up week 12 of the NFL season, the one conference that has people excited about is the AFC. It will look like in order for any team to get to the Superbowl, it will have to go through New England; as the Patriots are sitting atop of the AFC with record of 10-1. Then the second place team is the Cincinnati Bengals who are at 9-2 after coming up with a good win against the St. Louis Rams. Then in third place you have the Denver Broncos at 8-2 who face a tough task against the New England Patriots. In fourth place is the Indianapolis Colts, sitting at 6-5 with a victory today over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers who are as well in the playoff hunt in the NFC. The AFC seems to be very competitive this year in such a long time. These wild card teams are playing their better football at the right time. The four teams were struggling early and mid way through the season but have changed that. The New York Jets, Kansas City Chiefs, Houston Texans, and Pittsburgh Steelers can all make a case in why they should be included in the playoffs. The only thing is that all four of these teams will not make it, when the dust clears only two will claim the final two spots.
The Kansas City Chiefs have made a tremendous push to get themselves into the playoff picture. The Chiefs were at one point sitting at 1-5, and were not even looking like they would have any chance in making the playoffs. The way they have been playing the last few weeks have many changing their look on this team. They had lost many key players due to season ending injuries, and looked down and out. With the veteran pryesence of the players on the team, and future hall of fame coach these players buckled down. The turn around came when they had beaten the Pittsburgh Steelers. Since that game the Chiefs are playing strong on both sides of the ball. I think they will be tested against there next few opponents, especially against the Raiders who are playing much better football. The San Diego Chargers will be a tough test as well. These next two games are huge ones because of them being a divisional opponent.
The Houston Texans have been the biggest surprise this year because of how many holes they have on this team. No one except those who are part of the Texans Organization thought this team would compete this season. The season took a big turn when they went into Cincinnati and beat an undefeated team. After that game the Texans gained a lot of confidence, and are now right in thick of the playoff race. The next two weeks will be a true test for them when they have to play the Buffalo Bills who are desperately trying to stay in the playoff picture, and the New England Patriots who are the biggest test for this team. The defense is a veteran team that has been playing lights out. The defense will be truly tested for those two games. I think the offensive side needs to be established. The Quarterback situation is like a carousel there is someone new each week. Whom ever starts these two weeks coming up will have to play there best without any mistakes.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are no surprise to be in the playoff picture it seems like they are always in it. The Steelers organization is one that everyone in the league wants to be in winning numerous championships. This year was a slow start for them in suffering a tough loses against their rivals the Baltimore Ravens and losing to the Kansa City Chiefs. They have struggled this season with opponents in the AFC division. They have a big game today against the Seattle Seahawks who are fighting for the playoffs in the NFC. If the Steelers were to loose today then they would fall behind the Texans and Jets who have a better winning record within the AFC. There next two opponents are very crucial against the Colts and Bengals who are both ahead of them in the playoff picture. It will be a true test to see if they can come up with the big wins as they will be needed to hold off others.
The New York Jets are a team that are surprising many this year just because of them having a new coach, and new General Manager. This team has been having an up and down year but have kept themselves within reach of the Wildcard. The team has established themselves as one of the top defenses in the league, but the offense has been at a struggle in not being able to score many points. In order for the Jets to obtain the Wildcard they will need to play with the physicality like they did in the beginning of the season. There win today against the dolphins was a huge win especially against a division rival in the Miami Dolphins. There next two opponents are a big matchup they will play crosstown rivals New York Giants, and the Tennessee Titans. Both matchups are from the NFC so they will be tested. If they play like they did today they will grab the wildcard.
Overall, The AFC playoff picture is to hard to determine in who will make it just because of how many games are left. These four teams are quality playoff caliber teams, and will give other playoff teams problems. The two teams that I think will take the Wildcards will be the Kansas City Chiefs and the New York Jets. These two teams seem like they are playing with a chip on their shoulder and want to prove there doubters wrong. This will be an exciting ending to the season in how everything shapes out to be. Either way, the AFC will win this years superbowl. There are other teams still within reach in making the playoffs, but they will need a lot of things to happen in order to jump ahead of these four teams.
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