Tag: AFC Playoffs

What are the Texans’ chances of making the NFL playoffs?

Here’s what the odds look like for the Houston Texans to win the AFC South and make the playoffs in 2024.

Following a 23-20 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Stadium,  the Houston Texans improved to 8-5 in the 2024 campaign.

Entering the bye week, they remain the AFC South favorites and the fourth seed in the conference standings, trailing Kansas City Chiefs (11-1), Buffalo Bills (10-2) and Pittsburgh Steelers (9-3).

Kansas City and Buffalo have already clinched playoff berths, with the latter clinching the AFC East title. The Texans likely would need chaos to ensue, along with a win next week, to guarantee their spot in the College Football Playoff.

Should Houston somehow drop the division title, it would remain in the hunt for a wild-card berth. Well, at least for the time being alongside the Denver Broncos (8-5), Baltimore Ravens (8-5) and Los Angeles Chargers (8-4).

The Texans will play the Miami Dolphins, Chiefs and Ravens following the bye. They also hold a two-game lead over the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC South division race.

Houston controls its playoff fate. According to Andrew Mason of DenverSports.com, if the Broncos beat the Colts in Week 15, Houston would need to defeat the Dolphins at NRG Stadium to clinch a playoff berth.

Here’s a look at the AFC’s playoff picture entering Week 14.

AFC Playoff Picture

  1. Kansas City Chiefs (11-1)
  2. Buffalo Bills (10-2)
  3. Pittsburgh Steelers (9-3)
  4. Houston Texans (8-5)
  5. Los Angeles Chargers (8-4)
  6. Baltimore Ravens (8-5)
  7. Denver Broncos (8-5)

In the Hunt

  1. Indianapolis Colts (6-7)
  2. Miami Dolphins (5-7)
  3. Cincinnati Bengals (4-8)

Steelers sitting pretty in PFN’s latest playoff probability

The Steelers chances to make the playoffs improved after their win in Week 13.

Through 13 weeks of the NFL season, the Pittsburgh Steelers are outplaying all preseason expectations. The Steelers are 9-3 and on top in the AFC North and in control of their postseason future. The folks at Pro Football Network put out their latest playoff probabilities and here’s how things break down for the Steelers

To make the playoffs – 95.8

To win the division – 65.5

To be the No. 1 see in the AFC – 4.7

To make the AFC title game – 13.0

To make it to the Super Bowl – 9.5

To win the Super Bowl – 6.2

Of the four division leaders in the AFC, the Steelers have the worst chance to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl. This week the Steelers take on the Cleveland Browns in a rematch from two weeks ago when the Browns upset the Steelers.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

 

Steelers in rare company among NFL winners this season

Only the Steelers and Lions are undefeated against teams with winning records this season.

When it comes to the NFL, you can only beat the teams that get put on your schedule. So for some teams, the sledding can get pretty tough once the best teams in the league start to show themselves. If you want to win in the postseason, a team needs to be able to step up against the best teams and win.

This is the case for the Pittsburgh Steelers this season. Among the entire NFL, only the Steelers and Detroit Lions are undefeated against teams with a winning record. Third on the list are the Kansas City Chiefs who sit at .800 against winning teams.

The problem for the Steelers has been the good teams. It’s been the bad ones. All three of the Steelers losses this season were to teams with records under .500. Pittsburgh squares off with another one of those teams this weekend in the Cincinnati Bengals. Pittsburgh needs to pull off this win to keep pace and stay ahead of the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC North.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Steelers not among AFC teams who can secure playoff spots in Week 13

The Chiefs and Bills can both clinch playoff spots this week.

Week 13 of the NFL season already has playoff implications in the AFC. Despite six more weeks left in the 2024 season, two teams in the AFC can clinch playoff spots this weekend. Neither of those two teams is the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Kansas City Chiefs can clinch a spot in the playoffs with a win vs the Las Vegas Raiders on Black Friday and a loss by the Miami Dolphins. The Chiefs can also clinch if they win versus the Raiders and the Denver Broncos lose on Monday Night Football.

The Buffalo Bills can also clinch a playoff spot this weekend. They have to beat the San Francisco 49ers and the Dolphins need to lose to the Packers on Christmas.

The Steelers had their destiny in their own hands until they fell flat against the Cleveland Browns. This combined with a win by the Baltimore Ravens on Monday night and the fight for the top spot in the AFC North has heated up. This week the Steelers take on the Cincinnati Bengals in their third-straight AFC North matchup.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Steelers Week 12 NFL rooting guide

The Steelers have three games to keep an eye on this weekend.

Going into their Week 11 game against the Cleveland Browns, the Pittsburgh Steelers were already a team in control of their own destiny for the postseason. A win would have given them a significant lead over the Baltimore Ravens.

But instead, the Steelers went out and laid a big egg in the snow against the Browns and lost, leading to a much bigger mess in the AFC playoff picture. The Steelers got their game out of the way early but there are three games this week for Steelers fans to keep an eye on.

Houston Texans vs Tennessee Titans

The Texans are nipping at the heels of the Steelers in the AFC playoff picture. We gotta root for the Titans even though it’s a long shot.

Las Vegas Raiders vs Denver Broncos

The Steelers beat the Broncos early in the season and Denver has turned things around since then, We hope the struggling Raiders can pull off the upset and keep that distance between Denver and Pittsburgh.

Los Angeles Chargers vs Baltimore Ravens

The Chargers and Ravens are both in the playoff hunt but we have to root for Los Angeles here to upset the Ravens and help keep some distance between Pittsburgh and Baltimore in the AFC North.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Steelers wins prove they are Super Bowl contenders

The Steelers have beaten five teams with winning records in 10 games this season.

In a league where any team can win on any given week, the Pittsburgh Steelers continue to find ways to get it done. Despite very modest preseason projections, the Steelers sit at 8-2 after 11 weeks and atop in the AFC North.

But with any team that has success, critics try to find ways to pick that success apart. For the Steelers, the criticism has been about the strength of Pittsburgh’s schedule so far.

However, if only takes a few minutes to look at the current NFL standing and understand this argument doesn’t hold water.

Of the Steelers’ eight wins, five of them have come against teams currently with a winning record, The Baltimore Ravens, Washington Commanders, Denver Broncos, Atlanta Falcons and Los Angeles Chargers are all over .500. No other team can make the claim they’ve beaten five teams with winning records already this season.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Previewing Kansas City’s AFC Championship Game vs. Ravens on Chiefs Wire Podcast

On the latest episode of @TheChiefsWire podcast: @EdEastonJr and John Dillon look ahead to Baltimore #KCvsBAL

We’re back with an all-new episode of the Chiefs Wire podcast! This week, we’re previewing the Kansas City Chiefs’ AFC Championship game with the Baltimore Ravens.

The Chiefs are the number three seed traveling to Baltimore to play their first road AFC Championship during their six consecutive years in the game. We check in with this week’s press conferences featuring comments from head coach Andy Reid, quarterback Patrick Mahomes, and defensive tackle Chris Jones as they recapped last Sunday’s Divisional Round victory over the Buffalo Bills. 

Chiefs Wire’s Ed Easton Jr. shared his thoughts on their victory last Sunday as they overcame the Bills’ high-powered offense at Highmark Stadium. Chiefs Wire managing editor John Dillon discusses Kansas City’s goals ahead of the next big road battle with the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship game, emphasizing Mahomes playing his first postseason game as a visitor. Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson’s comments on Mahomes and the Chiefs defense during his press conference.

Listeners can look forward to being well-informed about the Chiefs’ mindset as the team seeks one more victory to return to their second consecutive Super Bowl. 

Check out the link below to get your fill of Chiefs talk ahead of Sunday’s kickoff:

Chiefs fans react to hilarious Justin Reid clap back on Twitter

#Chiefs fans went ballistic after Justin Reid dropped this legendary reply to a troll on Twitter.

The Kansas City Chiefs put together a remarkable performance to sneak past the Buffalo Bills in the divisional round of the AFC playoffs on Sunday night, and tensions ran high on social media platforms after the game.

Bills Mafia was, understandably, distraught when Buffalo was dismantled by Kansas City at Highmark Stadium, and took their frustrations out on players and fans in Chiefs Kingdom.

Justin Reid, whose exceptional play helped buoy Kansas City’s defense, was one target that the Bills’ faithful went after on Twitter as they tried to cope and ease the pain of yet another tough playoff loss at the hands of the Chiefs.

When one fan saw Reid’s post-game message on Twitter, they tried to detract from his performance, saying the safety is a “great tackler” but that he “can’t guard a soul.”

Reid, who didn’t allow a catch in Sunday’s contest, was quick to clap back, offering a humorous reply that had Chiefs fans buzzing on Twitter.

Check out some of the top reactions from Kansas City’s fans below:

Bills Wire AFC divisional round Player of the Game: QB Josh Allen

Bills Wire AFC divisional round Player of the Game: QB Josh Allen:

The Buffalo Bills were eliminated in the AFC divisional round after their loss against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday evening.

The Bills could not find a way to win after going down early in the fourth quarter. The Bills did not complete the comeback as the Chiefs won 27-24.

There are a handful of Bills players who could have won this week’s Bills Wire Player of the Game.

We are awarding it to quarterback Josh Allen, who was 26 of 39 for 186 yards and one passing touchdown to receiver Khalil Shakir. In addition, carrying the ball, Allen ran 12 times for 72 yards and two touchdowns.

Allen ran for those two touchdowns in the first half before connecting with wide receiver Shakir. Allen did everything he could to win this frosty divisional matchup against 2023 Super Bowl winner Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs.

Allen found the end zone with his feet at the beginning and end of the second quarter, both times to give Buffalo a lead. Unfortunately, the Bills could not prevent Kansas City from scoring nor could they find a way to tie or take the lead at the end of the game.

The Bills are now eliminated from the 2023 NFL playoffs.

[lawrence-related id=131269,131204,131202]

WATCH: Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes warms up ahead of kickoff vs. Bills

#Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes was seen warming up in the snow ahead of Kansas City’s playoff matchup against the #Bills.

The Kansas City Chiefs are getting set for their matchup against the Buffalo Bills in the divisional round of the AFC playoffs on Sunday evening. The highly-anticipated tilt is expected to be one of the best games on this weekend’s schedule and will decide which team has to travel to the Old Line State to face the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship Game next week.

The NFL’s reigning MVP, quarterback Patrick Mahomes, was seen warming up for Kansas City’s consequential matchup against Buffalo before kickoff, throwing passes in the snow as he prepared for action in primetime.

While the forecast in Orchard Park, New York isn’t calling for a significant amount of precipitation, the weather conditions could be something to watch if snow starts to creep in at game time.

Fans should expect the Chiefs’ decorated quarterback to put on a show against Buffalo’s defense as Kansas City endeavors to reach its sixth-consecutive AFC Championship Game.