Inside The Star
Compared to the NFC, the AFC’s final eight games in Week 18 seems out of control.
The only seed out of the seven for the playoffs that is anywhere close to being set is the 4th seed, which awaits the AFC North winner.
Whether that is the Baltimore Ravens or the Pittsburgh Steelers remains to be seen. The two teams kick off at 7:20 on Sunday night.
The winner is in the playoffs while the loser goes home.
If the Ravens prevail, D.K. Metcalf will have thrown the most expensive single punch in the history of sports.
The Steelers clearly missed him against the Browns on Sunday as he served the first half of a two-game suspension for hitting a heckling fan. They’re going to miss him this Sunday just as much.
If Baltimore does win, they need to send a game ball to Ryan Kennedy.
The guy took a shot to the face. That’s the least they could do.
And there’s your obligatory Highlander reference for the year.
Both the Denver Broncos and the New England Patriots go into Sunday at 13-3 on the year. Denver, though, holds the tie-breaker for best win percentage in common games.
Denver hosts the Los Angles Chargers while the Patriots are at home against Miami.
Advantage New England.
But there’s a joker in the deck. The Jacksonville Jaguars are 12-4.
If both the Broncos and the Patriots lose and Jacksonville defeats the Titans, all three teams finish at 13-4.
The Jaguars beat Denver two weeks ago and have not played New England. The Broncos and Patriots have not played this year.
That would give Jacksonville the No.1 seed based on the first tiebreaker — best head-to-head record among the three teams.
If both Denver and New England win on Sunday, the Broncos are the No. 1 seed.
A Patriots’ win and a Broncos’ loss, and New England claims the top seed and the bye.
However, the Chargers are starting Trey Lance on Sunday. It seems all but a lock that Denver will be the No. 1 seed.
Assuming wins by the Broncos and Patriots, that put New England at the No.2 seed and Jacksonville should be the No. 3 seed.
But the Jaguars cannot get upset by Tennessee because a win over the Colts by the Houston Texans would give the AFC South title and the No. 3 seed to Houston.
In that scenario, Jacksonville would fall to the No. 5 seed no matter what the Chargers and Bills do. The Texans right now are No. 5 seeded, but a loss would open the door for both the Chargers and Bills to move up and send Houston to the seventh seed.
By the time the Ravens and Steelers meet to settle who the No. 4 seed will be, the rest of the AFC’s seedings will have been sorted out.
It’s going to be a wild day of scoreboard watching on Sunday to be...
