AFC playoff picture: A new leader of the pack after Week 6

If the season were to end today, the Pittsburgh Steelers would rule the roost in the AFC while the Baltimore Ravens would be a wild card.

Though history says the Baltimore Ravens’ impressive 5-1 record points to Super Bowl glory, the Ravens’ first task includes just getting into the postseason. But as Baltimore enters its Week 7 bye, it’s right in the thick of the AFC playoff picture.

With Week 6 formally concluded after a Monday night doubleheader, the playoff picture continues to take shape, especially in the AFC. This conference now boasts two of the last three unbeaten teams in 2020. With only one team earning a first-round bye in the playoffs landing that No. 1 seed is more important than ever before.

Let’s see how the AFC playoff picture looks following Week 6.

AFC playoff picture – Week 7

Seed	Team	Record
1	Pittsburgh Steelers	5-0
2	Tennessee Titans	5-0
3	Kansas City Chiefs	5-1
4	Buffalo Bills	4-2
5	Baltimore Ravens	5-1
6	Cleveland Browns	4-2
7	Indianapolis Colts	4-2

The Indianapolis Colts are now in the playoff picture after improving to 4-2 with their win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. This victory has knocked the Las Vegas Raiders out of their spot, although the Raiders were on a bye in Week 6.

Week 7 should have massive implications for the whole AFC with the Pittsburgh Steelers taking on the Tennessee Titans. This battle of two 5-0 teams will see one extend their lead at the top of the conference, while the other must come down and join the dogfight with the rest of the playoff-caliber teams.

Despite boasting a 5-1 record, the Ravens would still go on the road in the first round of the playoffs, taking on the Buffalo Bills. The Bills may have lost their last two games, but they lead the AFC East with a 4-2 record due to the improved play of quarterback Josh Allen. The Ravens’ one defeat means they are looking up at the Steelers in the AFC North standings, and will therefore probably be hoping for a Titans win this weekend.

Things are undoubtedly going to continue jockeying around over the final few months of the regular season. But as it stands right now, the Ravens are firmly in the AFC playoff picture after Week 6.

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AFC playoff picture: Ravens in the thick of things after Week 5

The AFC playoff seeding is beginning to take shape. If the regular season ended today, here’s what the Baltimore Ravens would stand.

Week 5 of the 2020 NFL season is finally in the books after the schedule was stretched out to Tuesday night to accommodate the Tennessee Titans’ coronavirus outbreak. With most teams now at least a quarter of the way through their regular-season schedule, something approaching a true picture of the NFL’s playoff seeding is beginning to emerge.

Though there are still 12 more weeks of regular-season games scheduled, the AFC playoff picture is getting a little clearer. The good teams are beginning to rise to the top of the conference while the bad teams are creating lists of candidates for their vacant coaching and general manager positions. The Baltimore Ravens are right in the thick of the mix and if the season were to end today, they’d hold the No. 5 seed.

AFC playoff picture — Week 6

Seed	Team	Record
1	Tennessee Titans	4-0
2	Pittsburgh Steelers	4-0
3	Kansas City Chiefs	4-1
4	Buffalo Bills	4-1
5	Baltimore Ravens	4-1
6	Cleveland Browns	4-1
7	Las Vegas Raiders	3-2

The fact three AFC North teams are currently slated to be in the playoffs right now speaks to the quality of the division and Baltimore’s most frequent opponents.

Under the new playoff format, introduced this season, only the top-seeded team in each conference will receive a bye. So at present, the Tennessee Titans would get the extra rest while the other six teams faced off on Wild Card Weekend.

Under the current standings, the fifth-seed Ravens would go on the road in the first round of the playoffs to take on Josh Allen and the fourth-seed Buffalo Bills. While Baltimore has more playoff pedigree than Buffalo in their recent histories, both teams would be seeking a first career playoff victory for their starting quarterbacks. Allen lost his first postseason game last January, while Lamar Jackson has started 0-2 in the playoffs since 2018.

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NFL playoff changes: More playoff games in 2020

NFL owners voted and approved for expanded playoff format. Under the new NFL playoffs rules, there would be 7 teams in each conference

Now that the new CBA has been ratified, NFL owners have approved a 14-team postseason, starting with the 2020 season. The new playoff format will feature seven teams in each conference instead of the six that had been standard. It will also eliminate a first-round bye for all but the No. 1 seed in each conference, giving fans six playoff games during the Wild Card round instead of just four.

Here’s how each round of the postseason will look for each conference with the new NFL playoff rules applied.

NFL playoff format – Wild Card:

No. 1 seed: Bye
No. 2 seed vs. No. 7 seed
No. 3 seed vs. No. 6 seed
No. 4 seed vs. No. 5 seed

NFL playoff format – Divisional:

No. 1 seed vs. Lowest remaining seed
Remaining two teams

NFL playoff format – Conference Championship:

Divisional round winners

If the new playoff rules were applied last season, they wouldn’t have impacted the Ravens too much. As the No. 1 seed in the AFC, Baltimore would have still gotten the first-round bye and faced off against the lowest remaining seed. However, the Pittsburgh Steelers would have been the seventh and lowest seed in the Wild Card round squaring off against the Kansas City Chiefs.

In addition to the new playoff format, the NFL announced that the television network Nickelodeon will get a separately produced version of a Wild Card game tailored towards children. The goal is to get kids more involved in the game and build up a younger fanbase, though that has also meant some pretty obvious jokes getting made.

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