As we head into December fans and teams start looking more and more at the standings, inside their own division, and around the rest of the conference.
Going into Week 14, the Indianapolis Colts sit in the No. 7 and final playoff spot in the AFC at 8-4. They’re in a tight race with five other teams for three wild card spots but are also tied for first in the AFC South with the Tennessee Titans, but don’t own the tiebreaker.
Going down the final stretch, here are some teams to watch for, as well as their remaining schedule, and strength of schedule according to Tankathon as the Colts jockey for playoff positioning.
Cleveland Browns (9-3)
Currently, the Cleveland Browns are sitting at 9-3, in the top spot in the wild card, and will more than likely be the five seed going into the playoffs. They have the head-to-head tiebreaker over Indianapolis, so if it came down to wild card positioning, Indianapolis will have to have one more win than Cleveland.
SOS: 21st
Remaining games: vs Ravens (7-5), at Giants (5-7), at Jets (0-12), vs Steelers (11-1)
Tennessee Titans (8-4)
Both Tennessee and Indianapolis are 8-4, but Tennessee has the current tiebreaker over Indianapolis due to its division record. Both teams split their record season matchup, and now the tiebreaker comes down to divisional record. The Titans are 3-1 in the division, and the Colts are 2-2.
SOS: 29th
Remaining games: at Jaguars (1-11), vs Lions (5-7), at Packers (9-3), at Texans (4-8)
Miami Dolphins (8-4)
A team that has surprised some has been the Miami Dolphins, who are an impressive 8-4 on the season. They currently sit in the No. 6 spot in the AFC and look to be heading towards the playoffs. Both Miami and Indianapolis are 2-2 in their division, so the new tiebreaker goes to conference record: Miami is 5-3, Indianapolis is 4-4.
SOS: 1st
Remaining games: vs Chiefs (11-1), vs Patriots (6-6), at Raiders (7-5), at Bills (9-3)
Las Vegas Raiders (7-5)
Another team that has surprised some people has been the Las Vegas Raiders. At 7-5, they have a very important game Sunday against the Colts, in a game that will go a long way to determining playoff seeding. The winner gets the head-to-head tiebreaker but after that, the Raiders have the record in-conference.
SOS: 19th
Remaining games: vs Colts (8-4), vs Chargers (3-9), vs Dolphins (8-4), at Broncos (4-8)
Baltimore Ravens (7-5)
The team that finished with the best record in the AFC last year, the Baltimore Ravens, are fighting to make a wild-card spot this year. They’re in the No. 9 spot in the conference and sit at 7-5. The Ravens have the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Colts, so the Colts need to finish with one more win than the Ravens to have a higher seeding than them.
SOS: 31st
Remaining games: @ Browns (9-3), vs Jags (1-11), vs Giants (5-7), @ Bengals (2-9-1)
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