A Chiefs loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 13 has knocked Kansas City down in the AFC standings.
Buy Chiefs TicketsAfter holding the top seed for a few weeks, the Chiefs are now holding the No. 2 seed in the AFC. That means they no longer control their own destiny when it comes to possibly getting a first-round bye in the playoffs.
Here’s a deeper look at the playoff picture after Week 13 and heading into Week 14:
AFC standings after Week 13
Playoff seeds
1. Buffalo Bills (9-3) [AFC East leader]
2. Kansas City Chiefs (9-3) [AFC West leader]
3. Baltimore Ravens (8-4) [AFC North leader]
4. Tennessee Titans (7-5) [AFC South leader]
5. Cincinnati Bengals (8-4) [wild card]
6. Miami Dolphins (8-4) [wild card]
7. New York Jets (7-5) [wild card]
In the hunt
8. New England Patriots (6-6)
9. Los Angeles Chargers (6-6)
10. Las Vegas Raiders (5-7)
11. Cleveland Browns (5-7)
12. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-7)
13. Indianapolis Colts (4-8-1)
14. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-8)
15. Denver Broncos (3-9)
Eliminated
Houston Texans (1-10-1)
If the playoffs started today, the Chiefs would host the New York Jets in the wild-card round.
The Buffalo Bills defeated the Chiefs earlier this season, allowing the Bills to hold a playoff-seeding tiebreaker over K.C. That’s why Buffalo is back in that No. 1 spot. It’s unlikely the Bills drop two more games this season, so the Chiefs will basically need to win out and hope the Bills lose one game along the way to get back to that top spot.
Losing another game could actually send the Chiefs further down the seeding chain depending on how the Bengals and Baltimore Ravens do moving forward. The Bengals would hold a tiebreaker over the Chiefs if they held the same record, and the Ravens could end up with a tiebreaker over K.C. too if the Chiefs lose against more AFC opponents.
Long story short: The Chiefs need to win out and hope for one more Bills loss.
What's the playoff seeding tiebreaker?
The playoff tiebreaking procedure is:
- Head-to-head record, if applicable.
- Best conference win-loss record.
- Best common games win-loss record (minimum of four).
- Strength of victory.
- Strength of schedule.
- Best combined points scored and points allowed ranking within the conference.
- Best combined points scored and points allowed ranking within the NFL.
- Best net points conference games.
- Best net points in all games.
- Best net touchdowns in all games.
- A coin flip.
Who are the Chiefs' remaining opponents?
| Week | Date | Opponent | Time | |
| 14 | Sunday, Dec. 11 | @ Denver Broncos (SNF) | 7:20 p.m. CT on NBC | Tickets |
| 15 | Sunday, Dec. 18 | @ Houston Texans | Noon CT on CBS | Tickets |
| 16 | Saturday, Dec. 24 | vs. Seattle Seahawks | Noon CT on FOX | Tickets |
| 17 | Sunday, Jan. 1 | vs. Denver Broncos | Noon CT on CBS | Tickets |
| 18 | Saturday / Sunday, Jan. 7 or 8 | @ Las Vegas Raiders | TBD on TBD | Tickets |
Who are the Bills' remaining opponents?
| Week | Date | Opponent | Time | |
| 14 | Sunday, Dec. 11 | vs. New York Jets | Noon CT on CBS | Tickets |
| 15 | Saturday, Dec. 17 | vs. Miami Dolphins | 7:15 p.m. CT on NFLN | Tickets |
| 16 | Saturday, Dec. 24 | @ Chicago Bears | Noon CT on CBS | Tickets |
| 17 | Monday, Jan. 2 | @ Cincinnati Bengals | 7:30 p.m. CT on ESPN/ABC | Tickets |
| 18 | Sunday, Jan. 8 | vs. New England Patriots | TBD on TBD | Tickets |
