The AFC has two interesting playoff races that don’t have to do with the divisions — because the division races have pretty clear paths. The competition for a first-round bye currently has three teams with clear paths: New England, Baltimore, and Houston. The other interesting thing to look at is the race of the for the wild cards. Buffalo, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, and Oakland are all vying for two spots with the Titans, Chargers, and maybe the Browns looking frisky if they can run the table.

AFC East

New England Patriots 8-1

This is the toughest stretch of the Patriots season. They should be hoping to go 3-1 over their next four games. A 2-2 record will put the top seed in the AFC at risk — especially if one of those losses is to Houston which is entirely possible. New England should be able to get right the last three games of the season. They should be hoping that the Dolphins game doesn’t matter.

Remaining Schedule: @Eagles, Cowboys, @Texans, Chiefs, @Bengals, Bills, Dolphins

Buffalo Bills 6-3

The Bills looked like they could cruise to 11 wins this season. Now they could be in trouble. They will be underdogs against the Cowboys, Ravens, Steelers, and Patriots. If they lose all those games, the best they can finish is 9-7. They shouldn’t want to rely on tiebreakers to get them into the playoffs.

Remaining Schedule: @Dolphins, Broncos, @Cowboys, Ravens, @Steelers, @Patriots, Jets