The AFC Playoff Picture is less jumbled than it was a week ago, but intrigue lingers at the top of the food chain.
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NFL Replay
will re-air the
New England Patriots' 27-26 win over the
Cleveland Browns from Week 14 on Wednesday, Dec. 11 at 9 p.m. ET.
I don't see it happening.
Gronk's injury might be a fatal blow to their Super Bowl hopes, but Bill Belichick's Patriots teams -- even those giving up 494 yards at home to the Cleveland Browns -- don't historically crumble in the regular season.
Get revved up for Colts-Chiefs
The Colts are a ghost ship.
Sunday's 42-28 loss to the Bengals all but locked Indy into the AFC's No. 4 seed as the champion of the South. Barring Denver's roster disappearing at sea, the Chiefs are bound for second place in the AFC West and the conference's fifth slot.
We've talked before about Kansas City (10-3) looking like a classic one-and-done team in the playoffs, but Indy looms as an outstanding matchup for the Chiefs' defense in Week 16. The Colts -- stumbling into the playoffs -- run a stuck-in-the-mud attack that can't find itself on the ground and doesn't have the requisite weapons for Andrew Luck to build leads through the air.
Meanwhile, K.C.'s offense is expanding. The group couldn't keep pace with the Broncos, but Alex Smith has led the Chiefs to 37 points per game over the past three weeks. We like their chances against a Colts defense allowing 31 points per game since Week 7.
Sixth seed down to two?
I'm going with the Super Bowl champs. The Ravens are far from a perfect beast, but John Harbaugh's bunch is giving off the scent of another playoff run with Sunday's incredible finish on the heels of knocking off the Steelers on Thanksgiving.
Brink of death
The Chargers and Jets -- both 6-7 -- need to think about winning three consecutive games for a shot at January. The Chargers face a rugged slate against the Broncos, Raiders and Chiefs. I'm not listing Gang Green's opponents, because the team hasn't won three in a row since 2011. The GenoCoaster won't go there.
Looking ahead to Week 15
San Diego Chargers at Denver Broncos: San Diego's fully back in the playoff picture with a win on Thursday night.
Houston Texans at Indianapolis Colts:Backing into January: The Story of the 2013 Indianapolis Colts.
The playoff picture
How would your team's prospects look if the season ended today? See where each team stands in the playoff picture midway through the season. **More ...**
New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins: Isn't this the game Miami spent all that money to win?
New York Jets at Carolina Panthers: Here's your shot to silence the doubters, Geno Smith.
Kansas City Chiefs at Oakland Raiders: Alas, Chris Wesseling's softball pants will go undigested.
Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers: Lose three straight, and it's fork time in the Steel City.
Baltimore Ravens at Detroit Lions: Quietly the game of the week, leaving the loser in a dark place.
The latest "Around The League Podcast" recapped all the Week 14 games.
