We are now headed toward the stretch run of the 2014 NFL regular season. With that comes a ton of playoff scenarios as the weeks count down. From here on out, Sportsnaut will give you a clear look at the playoff picture in each conference up until Week 17 of the regular year.
Here’s our first look at the AFC Playoff picture.
| Seed | Team | Record | Next Opponent |
| 1 | New England Patriots | 8-2 | VS- Detroit |
| 2 | Denver Broncos | 7-3 | VS- Miami |
| 3 | Cincinnati Bengals | 6-3-1 | AT- Houston |
| 4 | Indianapolis Colts | 6-4 | VS- Jacksonville |
| 5 | Kansas City Chiefs | 7-3 | AT- Oakland |
| 6 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 7-4 | Bye Week |
* Denver holds the head-to-head tie-breaker over Kansas City in the AFC West.
If the Playoffs Started Today (Bye Week: New England Patriots and Denver Broncos)
Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals
Kansas City Chiefs at Indianapolis Colts
In the Hunt
| Seed | Team | Record | Next Opponent |
| 7 | Miami Dolphins | 6-4 | AT- Denver |
| 8 | San Diego Chargers | 6-4 | VS- St. Louis |
| 9 | Baltimore Ravens | 6-4 | AT- New Orleans |
| 10 | Cleveland Browns | 6-4 | AT- Atlanta |
| 11 | Houston Texans | 5-5 | VS- Cincinnati |
| 12 | Buffalo Bills | 5-5 | VS- New York (J) |
* Miami holds tie-breaker over the other three 6-4 teams due to a better conference record.
* San Diego holds tie-breaker over Baltimore due to a better conference record.
* Baltimore holds tie-breaker over Cleveland due to head-to-head record.
* Houston holds tie-breaker over Buffalo due to head-to-head record.
Strength of Schedule Among Contending Teams
| Team | SOS |
| Denver Broncos | .556 |
| Buffalo Bills | .544 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | .511 |
| Miami Dolphins | .500 |
| Baltimore Ravens | .490 |
| Indianapolis Colts | .489 |
| San Diego Chargers | .478 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | .467 |
| New England Patriots | .461 |
| Houston Texans | .440 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | .431 |
| Cleveland Browns | .386 |
Remaining Strength of Schedule Among Contending Teams
| Team | SOS |
| San Diego Chargers | .633 |
| New England Patriots | .550 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | .548 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | .540 |
| Buffalo Bills | .500 |
| Denver Broncos | .500 |
| Cleveland Browns | .492 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | .483 |
| Miami Dolphins | .483 |
| Baltimore Ravens | .467 |
| Indianapolis Colts | .400 |
| Houston Texans | .367 |
Photo: Baltimore Sun
