The Kansas City Chiefs won a seventh-straight AFC West title and own the top seed in the AFC playoff picture, but their opponent in the Divisional Round next weekend is yet to be determined. In fact, there are four potential teams Kansas City could end up facing:
- The No. 4 seed Jacksonville Jaguars
- The No. 5 seed Los Angeles Chargers
- The No. 6 seed Baltimore Ravens
- The No. 7 seed Miami Dolphins
The Chiefs will play the lowest remaining seed among those four teams next weekend, so with that all in mind, here's a look at the AFC matchups taking place during Super Wild Card Weekend.
No. 7 Miami Dolphins vs. No. 2 seed Buffalo Bills on Sunday at 12:00 p.m. CT
The No. 7 seed Miami Dolphins will face off with the No. 2 seed Buffalo Bills in western New York on Sunday at 12 p.m. CT. It wasn't long ago that the Dolphins and Bills last saw each other back in Week 15, and while Bills' quarterback Josh Allen and company escaped with the victory, the Dolphins gave them a run for their money. It's also worth pointing out that Miami defeated Buffalo in Week 3. The Dolphins had quarterback Tua Tagovailoa leading the way in both of those games, however, and will be without his services on Sunday due to a concussion.
This game will come down to the battle between the Bills' defense – which ranks as the best scoring defense in the AFC at 17.4 points-per-game – and a Dolphins' offense that will need to be creative without its starting quarterback.
Miami was just 1-5 in its final six games, but four of those losses were by just one score. The Dolphins also feature two of the most electric playmakers in the game in wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, who each topped 1,300 receiving yards on the season. It certainly won't be easy, but if the Dolphins' gameplan can get those guys in space, Miami could give themselves a chance.
If Miami defeats Buffalo, the Dolphins would be the Chiefs' opponent next weekend.
No. 6 seed Baltimore Ravens vs. No. 3 seed Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday at 7:15 p.m. CT
This matchup between AFC North rivals will kick off on Sunday night at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati. It's a rematch of a game that just took place last week, which the Bengals won, 27-16. Cincinnati is one of the hottest teams in football – winning eight-straight games – and they'll be facing a Ravens' team that will be without starting quarterback Lamar Jackson, who hasn't played since Week 13 due to a knee injury. With Jackson out, it'll likely be third-year quarterback Tyler Huntley under center for Baltimore. Huntley went 2-2 in his four starts over the last several weeks.
If the Ravens can pull the upset, they would be the Chiefs' opponent next weekend if Miami loses to Buffalo.
No. 5 seed Los Angeles Chargers vs. No. 4 seed Jacksonville Jaguars on Saturday at 7:15 p.m. CT
The Jaguars will aim to win their first playoff game since the 2017-18 season as they take on the Chargers in Jacksonville on Saturday night. The Jaguars were one of the stories of the NFL this season, emerging from a 3-7 start to win six of their final seven games and claim the AFC South title. Jacksonville did so behind a strong sophomore season by quarterback Trevor Lawrence, and a breakout campaign by tailback Travis Etienne, who racked up more than 1,400 yards from scrimmage.
The Chargers enter Saturday's game as winners of four of their last five games, but it's worth mentioning that they lost their season-finale to the Denver Broncos last week. Regardless, Los Angeles seemed to hit its stride during the latter half of the season on both sides of the ball. The Chargers feature two of the best pass-rushers in the league in Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa, and as a team, Los Angeles posted the league's No. 7 scoring defense between Week 12 and the end of the regular season.
This is probably the biggest "toss-up" game of the weekend, and should the Bills and Bengals both win, the Chiefs would play the winner of this matchup.
It all makes for a great weekend of football as Super Wild Card Weekend gets underway.
