Following the conclusion of Week 10, the 2024-25 NFL regular season is already halfway past. In ten short weeks, there have been many storylines, questions answered, and some left guessing. These storylines include the Chiefs being undefeated, the surprising Broncos, a very competitive AFC North, the disappointing Jets and Colts, and many coaches on the hot seat.
With only eight weeks to go, here are predictions on how the playoff picture will shape out at the end of the regular season. Can the Chiefs go 17-0? Will there be any late-season collapses? Who is a pretender and contender? Here are the AFC playoff predictions below!
The defending champions fell to Earth in the second half of the season with losses to Buffalo, the LA Chargers, Houston, and Denver; nonetheless, they still finished with a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the postseason.
The Ravens finish the season with twelve wins and the #2 seed, thanks to an early-season blowout over the Buffalo Bills. The quest for Derrick Henry’s first Super Bowl will roll through Baltimore unless an inevitable trip to Kansas City occurs.
Even if the Bills pick up only one win than last season, Josh Allen’s squad looks much better than last year’s 11-6 team that lost to the Chiefs in the divisional round. Despite losing to San Francisco and Los Angeles and an upset in New England, Buffalo is projected to pick up wins against Kansas City and Detroit.
Despite having one of the NFL’s best records, the Texans do not look like an elite team. Houston will easily win a weak division, but DeMeco Ryans must figure out how to revive the offense that has struggled without Stefon Diggs and Nico Collins with a -2 point differential.
While the Steelers looked like a good team under Justin Fields, starting Russell Wilson has made them great. The offense looks the best in years, while the defense improved after the trade deadline. The team might not be able to win the division, but Pittsburgh will be difficult to beat in the postseason.
Jim Harbaugh has turned around the culture in Los Angeles. Despite a lack of talent at wide receiver, Justin Herbert is playing his best football, and the running game has life. But the biggest surprise is the Chargers’ defense. What once was a defensive mess has become one of the best in the NFL.
The first six playoff spots appear to be locked in the AFC, but the seventh seed is entirely up for grabs. Currently, the Denver Broncos hold this spot, but it’s very likely that Joe Burrow’s squad can sneak up and make the postseason. Cincinnati has had its struggles this season, but an NFL team seen as a Super Bowl contender when healthy can give any team a run for its money in January.
Miami Dolphins (8-9), Denver Broncos (8-9), Indianapolis Colts (8-9), New York Jets (7-10)
If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to our newsletter here. Check out Stadium Rant Original shows on our Youtube channel and subscribe! Give our socials Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok a follow for more great content!
