December 25th, 2025
By Stephen Juza
With Week 16 in the books, we are nearing the end of the regular season. The race for the top seed in the AFC tightened this week with the Denver Broncos dropping their game against the Jaguars as every other playoff team claimed a victory this week.
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#1 Denver Broncos
The current #1 seed in the AFC is the Denver Broncos, tied in a virtual dead-heat with the New England Patriots with two games to go. While they have the same record (12-3), the Broncos have a better win percentage in shared games, giving them the slight edge. The Broncos fell this week against the AFC South-leading Jacksonville Jaguars 34-20, leading to the Broncos having to win their remaining games to continue to have a shot at the bye week in the playoffs.
While the seeding isn’t set, the Broncos have clinched at least a wildcard spot in the playoffs. They will go on the road to face the Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas Day, who are now reeling after losing yet another quarterback to an ACL injury.
#2 New England Patriots
Hot on the heels of the Broncos are the New England Patriots who just clinched their first 12-win regular season ever in franchise history without Tom Brady. The Patriots went on the road this week to beat the Baltimore Ravens 28-24 to clinch a playoff berth. MVP contender Drake Maye threw for a career high 380 yards while the Patriots while being nearly perfect in the fourth quarter (12-14 for 139 yards). The Ravens tried to overcome losing two-time MVP Lamar Jackson in only the second quarter to a back injury, and his replacement Tyler Huntley was a very efficient backup. However, in the end, the Ravens defense wasn’t able to keep them out of the end zone when it mattered.
The Patriots will travel to MetLife Stadium to face the New York Jets this weekend and can clinch the AFC East with a win and a Buffalo loss.
#3 Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars traveled to beat the Denver Broncos 34-20 in one of Trevor Lawrence’s best games of his career. Throwing three touchdowns, and adding one more with his legs, to move one game behind the Broncos and Patriots for the #1 seed. The Jaguars hot streak right now has also given rise to rookie head coach Liam Coen’s bid for Coach of the Year, who has already secured a seven game improvement over 2024 for the team and their best record since at least 2007.
The Jaguars will go on the road and face the Indianapolis Colts this week, with the Colts holding on to the slimmest of hopes for a wildcard berth.
#4 Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers have almost clinched the AFC North title over the Baltimore Ravens with their win over the Detroit Lions this week. The Steelers won 29-24 against the now-struggling Lions, who have now dropped to 8-7 and are on the verge of playoff elimination. However, the Steelers will be going the rest of the regular season without wide receiver DK Metcalf, who was suspended by the league after a fan altercation. The victory was not without controversy on the field, where the Lions’ possible game-winning touchdown was negated by an offensive pass interference penalty.
The Steelers will travel to Cleveland this week to face the Browns and try to clinch their first division title in five seasons.
#5 Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers continued on their playoff-bound path this week with a 34-17 victory against the Dallas Cowboys. With this victory, the Chargers officially knocked the Cowboys out of playoff contention while almost clinching their own wildcard berth. However, they have much bigger things in mind than a wildcard. The Chargers sit one game behind the Broncos with two weeks remaining in the season.
The Chargers looked sharp against the Cowboys, scoring in each quarter with Justin Herbert throwing for 300 yards and two touchdowns, while adding another touchdown with his legs. Not only that, but the team’s 452 offensive yards was their season high. The team returns home to face the Houston Texans on Saturday.
#6 Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills traveled to Cleveland to beat the Browns 23-20 to keep their slim AFC East hopes alive. The bright spot for the Bills was running back James Cook III who rushed for 117 yards and two touchdowns on the day. All three of their touchdowns came on the ground, with Josh Allen only contributing 130 yards of offense through the air. The defense helped keep the Browns offense in check by forcing two interceptions on the day.
The Bills will host the NFC East champions Philadelphia Eagles this week.
#7 Houston Texans
The final playoff spot falls to the Houston Texans, coming off a 23-21 victory against the Las Vegas Raiders. The Texans extended their win streak to seven games to keep them one-game back in the AFC South race. They will need help though to overcome the Jaguars. The Texans top-ranked defense in the league continued to lead the way for the team while handing the Raiders their ninth straight loss in Pete Carrol’s first season as head coach for the team.
The Texans will travel West to take on the Chargers this Saturday.
Teams Eliminated: Kansas City Chiefs, Miami Dolphins, Cincinnati Bengals, New York Jets, Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns, and the Las Vegas Raiders