FanHouse

The NFL playoffs are just around the corner, and though most New England fans seem to think the playoffs are just a formality this year, plenty of teams are still chasing that shiny Lombardi Trophy. With that in mind, here's a look at how the AFC playoff race is stacking up at this point in the season...

Seed	Team	Record	Div.	Conf.
1	New England Patriots*	13-0	4-0	10-0
2	Indianapolis Colts	11-2	4-0	7-2
3	Pittsburgh Steelers	9-4	5-0	7-3
4	San Diego Chargers	8-5	3-1	7-3
5	Jacksonville Jaguars	9-4	2-3	6-3
6	Cleveland Browns	8-5	3-2	6-4
--	Buffalo Bills	7-6	4-2	6-5
--	Tennessee Titans	7-6	3-2	4-5

* - Clinched division title.

TIEBREAKERS:

• None that matter this week.
  

There's not a lot of drama among the top seeds here, is there? The Patriots have a two-game lead on the Colts. The Colts now have a two-game lead on the Steelers. Both the Pats and Colts seem destined for first-round byes here.

No, the real drama is among the conference upstarts. Pittsburgh's loss to New England was not some semi-random act of God. It was a sign that the Steelers, like the other contenders for lower seeds, simply aren't in the same class as the Pats and Colts. Those are the two teams to beat, and everyone else is jockeying for position so that they can have the opportunity to beat one of them.

Could it happen? Did Appalachian State beat Michigan in Ann Arbor? Upsets are what make sports so great in the first place. The phrase "On any given Sunday" isn't horribly cliché for nothing. Fans of these teams fighting for playoff spots should keep hope alive for as long as possible, because when the odds seem this long, hope is all you've got.

Well, in the case of the Browns, that and a favorable schedule. Yes, this week's game against Buffalo is a must-win for them, but after that, they get the Bengals and 49ers, which should be a little bit easier. The Bills, meanwhile, get stuck with the Giants and Eagles -- winnable games, yes, but not exactly the Bengals and 49ers.

Then there's the possibility that the Jaguars could change the playoff order this week, just by getting a win at Pittsburgh. A Steelers loss and a Chargers win could flip the #3 and #4 seeds, and suddenly, Jacksonville might go back to Pittsburgh for the first round of the playoffs, rather than going to San Diego. Pittsburgh wants to keep that #3 seed, though, because that would mean their path to the AFC title game goes through Indianapolis. They don't want to go through New England again -- not just yet, anyway.

There's a lot left to settle in the AFC, folks. The real question, though, is which two teams will pull through and get their shot against the big boys. This week's games will tell us a lot about that.

THIS WEEK'S IMPACT GAMES (All Times Eastern):

• Jacksonville Jaguars @ Pittsburgh Steelers (SUN, 1:00 PM, CBS). Can the Jags carry the momentum of that 37-6 beat down of Carolina into this one? Or are the Steelers going to take out their frustrations on someone?
  
  
• Detroit Lions @ San Diego Chargers (SUN, 4:15 PM, FOX). The Chargers nearly have the AFC West wrapped up, but they'll want to keep winning in an effort to grab that #3 seed away from Pittsburgh.
  
  
• Buffalo Bills @ Cleveland Browns (SUN, 1:00 PM, CBS). Did anyone think this game might have playoff implications back in September? Anyone? Suddenly, it's looking like something close to an elimination game.
  
  
• Tennessee Titans @ Kansas City Chiefs (SUN, 1:00 PM, CBS). This is an elimination for Tennessee. If the Titans want to stay in the hunt, they must play to win the game. They sure didn't do that in the 4th quarter last Sunday.
  
  
• Indianapolis Colts @ Oakland Raiders (SUN, 4:05 PM, CBS). The only odds that should be taken on this game are the odds on whether either Jim Sorgi or JaMarcus Russell will see significant action in garbage time -- and by "garbage time," I mean, "anything after halftime," because this one should be done and dusted by then.
  
  
• New York Jets @ New England Patriots (SUN, 1:00 PM, CBS). 27-point favorites. Damn.

Bookmark this page and visit it every Tuesday at noon EST for the latest AFC playoff picture. Click here for the latest NFC playoff picture.