Week 14 AFC Playoff Picture: Ravens stumble, Bills play bully ball, Chargers keep hammering, and more

Among the teams that recorded significant victories in the AFC playoff picture this week were the LA Chargers, Houston Texans and Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Chargers are still in a position to earn a wildcard slot, while the Steelers and Texans both gained victories to keep their leads in the AFC North and AFC South, respectively.

In addition, the Baltimore Ravens have fallen behind the Chargers in the AFC wild-card hunt following their Sunday loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

AFC playoff picture heading into Week 14

The Ravens stumble in their division title race

The Ravens appeared to need a rest during their Week 13 matchup with the Eagles. After the Eagles grabbed a 14-9 lead in the second quarter, the game stopped looking competitive, even though Baltimore got a late touchdown to get within five points of Philadelphia.

After their defeat, the Ravens are now ranked sixth in the AFC and will enter their Week 14 bye trailing the Steelers in the AFC North race by one and a half games after Pittsburgh defeated the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday to move up to 9-3.

Given that the team lost its opening two games of the season, it's not a bad position for Baltimore. But if the Ravens want to preserve their hopes of winning the division title, they may need to win all their remaining games.

The Chiefs and the Bills will go head-to-head in the AFC top-seed race

The Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs just needed one victory to guarantee their postseason berths after the Miami Dolphins' Thanksgiving Day loss to the Green Bay Packers.

Kansas City took care of business on Black Friday, beating the Raiders to secure a playoff spot, and the Bills followed suit on Sunday night while also winning the AFC East for the fifth consecutive season after beating the San Francisco 49ers.

Buffalo currently has an advantage in the race for a playoff round one bye with their head-to-head win over Kansas City, and the two teams are now expected to concentrate on the battle for the No. 1 spot in the AFC for the rest of the regular season.

The LA Chargers take another step up in the AFC playoff race

The LA Chargers defeated the Atlanta Falcons 17-13 in Week 13 to go back into the winning column after suffering a crushing defeat to the Baltimore Ravens last week.

The Chargers still have games against the Denver Broncos, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Kansas City Chiefs, which makes their schedule a bit challenging. But having won eight times now, they need roughly two more to secure a wild-card berth. With the New England Patriots and the Las Vegas Raiders on their schedule to close up the regular season, that shouldn't be too tough for them.

The Steelers take command of AFC North

Following their Week 12 loss to the Cleveland Browns and the Ravens' victory over the Chargers that week, the Pittsburgh Steelers were in danger of losing their top spot in the AFC North going into Week 13. But with their victory over the Bengals and the Ravens' defeat to the Eagles on Sunday, the Steelers have regained control of the AFC North.

Baltimore is off next week, so even if the Steelers lose their next two games, it will still hold the top spot in the AFC North division until at least Week 15.

Depending on how the Steelers perform in their next two games, the results could set them up for a crucial Week 16 matchup with the Ravens, which could decide who leads the division moving into Week 17.

Overview of AFC playoff picture after Week 13 (MNF to go)

1. Kansas City Chiefs (11-1) - First-round bye

2. Buffalo Bills (10-2)

3. Pittsburgh Steelers (9-3)

4. Houston Texans (8-5)

5. Los Angeles Chargers (8-4)

6. Baltimore Ravens (8-5)

7. Denver Broncos (7-5)

Currently out of playoff spots

8. Indianapolis Colts (6-7)

9. Miami Dolphins (5-7)

10. Cincinnati Bengals (4-8)

11. Cleveland Browns (3-8)

12. New York Jets (3-9)

13. Tennessee Titans (3-9)

14. New England Patriots (3-10)

15. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-10)

16. Las Vegas Raiders (2-10)