AFC Playoff Picture: Updating the rankings heading into Week 16

It is hard to believe, but the NFL regular season is winding down. With only 3 weeks left in the regular season, it is time to start looking ahead to the postseason. In other words, taking a look at the latest AFC Playoff Picture.

For some of the teams listed below the word playoffs is not just foreign, but also something which is nothing more than a pipe dream. Nonetheless, until that asterisk resides next to their favorite team’s name, signifying mathematical elimination from the postseason, there is still hope.

Let’s take a look at the latest Playoff Picture for the AFC:

Division Leaders:

1. Buffalo Bills (11-3) *

2. Kansas City Chiefs (11-3) *

3. Cincinnati Bengals (10-4)

4. Tennessee Titans (7-7)

Wild Cards:

5. Baltimore Ravens (9-5)

6. Los Angeles Chargers (8-6)

7. Miami Dolphins (8-6)

*- Clinched Division

In the Hunt:

8. New England Patriots (7-7)

9. New York Jets (7-7)

10. Jacksonville Jaguars (6-8)

11. Las Vegas Raiders (6-8)

12. Cleveland Browns (6-8)

13. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-8)

14. Indianapolis Colts (4-9-1)

Eliminated

Houston Texans

Denver Broncos

For teams like the Pittsburgh Steelers, a 6-8 record is far from inspiring when it comes to playoff potential. The loss to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 14 was a crippling blow to the team’s hopes of a playoff berth, but the win over the Carolina Panthers in Week 15 on the road meant they can cling to some semblance of hope for another week. While not mathematically eliminated yet, the margin for error is razor thin. To be specific, it seems as if the Steelers need to win out, and help, to stand a chance at getting into postseason play. Nonetheless, a win over the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 16 would move their record to 7-8 and would help give the global fan base a little bit of hope.

Can they get the job done? Anything is possible, but the deck is certainly stacked against the Steelers at this juncture of the season, and after such a poor start to the season.

With all that said, the Steelers aren’t dead...not yet.