| Rk | Team | W | L | T | Pct | Div | Conf |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Baltimore | 7 | 3 | 0 | .700 | 3-0 | 5-2 |
| 2 | Houston | 7 | 3 | 0 | .700 | 3-0 | 6-2 |
| 3 | New England | 7 | 3 | 0 | .700 | 3-1 | 6-2 |
| 4 | Oakland | 6 | 4 | 0 | .600 | 2-2 | 5-4 |
| 5 | Pittsburgh | 7 | 3 | 0 | .700 | 1-2 | 5-3 |
| 6 | Cincinnati | 6 | 4 | 0 | .600 | 1-2 | 5-3 |
| - | Denver | 5 | 5 | 0 | .500 | 2-2 | 5-3 |
| - | Tennessee | 5 | 5 | 0 | .500 | 1-2 | 4-4 |
| - | New York Jets | 5 | 5 | 0 | .500 | 2-2 | 4-5 |
| - | Buffalo | 5 | 5 | 0 | .500 | 1-2 | 3-3 |
| - | San Diego | 4 | 6 | 0 | .400 | 2-2 | 3-4 |
| - | Cleveland | 4 | 6 | 0 | .400 | 0-1 | 3-4 |
| - | Kansas City | 4 | 6 | 0 | .400 | 2-2 | 3-5 |
Baltimore comes through with a big win over the Bengals, and with that takes control of the AFC for now.
Tennessee's loss to Atlanta gives Matt Leinart a 2-game cushion for the division, even if Leinart has learned nothing since being banished from Arizona, Houston's not losing that cushion.
I still like New England's chances to end up with the #1 overall seed. At their best, they're maybe 3rd best in the conference, but their lapses aren't as bad as those of Baltimore.
The AFC West will be interesting, 2 teams set to duke it out, and neither of them is San Diego? Even with Norv Turner as the coach, that's still surprising.
The Wild Card looks like it's down to 3 teams: the 2 in the AFC North that don't win the division, and the Jets. Sure the Bills and Titans are a game out as well, but neither has given any indication they can run with the big boys in the last month. And the reason I include the Jets is Cincy still has games against Pittsburgh, Houston, and Baltimore left.
Key Games this week:
Buffalo at New York Jets - With Cincinnati playing Cleveland this week, odds are the loser of this game drops 2 games back of the final AFC playoff spot. Both teams are coming off of very down weeks, but Buffalo is stuck in a month-long funk at this point.
Denver at San Diego - The magic and good feelings of Tebow go up against the mess that is Phillip Rivers. A San Diego win could keep the AFC West race a tight mess. A San Diego loss could put them on the precipice, as they's be at least 2 back of both Denver and Oakland, fall to 2-3 in the division, and 3-5 in the conference.
Pittsburgh at Kansas City - Tyler Palko managed 3 whole points against the worst pass defense in the league. Now he gets Pittsburgh. And guess what, it's in prime time again (this time Sunday night). Hooray for terrible blowouts!.
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