AFC Playoff Picture Week 12: Dolphins move into sixth seed

The Miami Dolphins won their sixth-straight game on Sunday, moving them to 7-4 on the year. Meanwhile, the two AFC Wildcard teams heading into the week, the Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs, faced off on Sunday Night Football, with both entering the game with 7-3 records. After a last second, overtime field goal, the Chiefs improved to 8-3 on the yea, but the Broncos fells to 7-4. Suddenly, the Dolphins were not a game out of the Wildcard position, but were rather the sixth seed.

All across the conference, games helped shape the current Playoff picture as we head out of Week 12. The New England Patriots outlasted the New York Jets to hold on to the top seed in the conference, while the Oakland Raiders had to rally their way past the Carolina Panthers to remain tied with New England at 9-2.

The other two division leaders, the Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans, had different outcomes on Sunday. Baltimore beat their division rivals in the Cincinnati Bengals, keeping themselves in the division lead based on tie breaks over the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Texans lost to the San Diego Chargers, who are trying to claw their way back into the AFC Wildcard hunt, now with a 5-6 record. Both the Ravens and Texans are now 6-5 on the year.

The current AFC East standings and the AFC Playoff picture are:

AFC East Standings

New England Patriots 9-2
Miami Dolphins 7-4
Buffalo Bills 6-5
New York Jets 3-8

AFC Playoff Picture

1. New England Patriots (9-2) - AFC East leader

2. Oakland Raiders (9-2) - AFC West leader

3. Baltimore Ravens (6-5) - AFC North leader

4. Houston Texans (6-5) - AFC South leader

5. Kansas City Chiefs (8-3) - Wildcard 1

6. Miami Dolphins (7-4) - Wildcard 2

In the hunt

Denver Broncos (7-4)

Pittsburgh Steelers (6-5)

Buffalo Bills (6-5)

Tennessee Titans (5-6)

Indianapolis Colts (5-6)

San Diego Chargers (5-6)

Longshots

Cincinnati Bengals (3-7-1)

New York Jets (3-8)

Eliminated

Jacksonville Jaguars (2-9)

Tie breakers

• New England (9-2) ahead of Oakland (9-2) for top seed based on winning percentage in conference games.
• Baltimore (6-5) ahead of Pittsburgh (6-5) in AFC North based on head-to-head record.
• Miami (7-4) ahead of Denver (7-4) based on winning percentage in conference games.