A Chiefs fan’s guide to Week 18 games and what they could mean for KC in playoffs
Six of the seven teams that will take part in the AFC playoffs are known and three are locked into seeds.
The Chiefs, 15-1, are the No. 1 seed, while the Bills, 13-3, have secured the No. 2 seed. The Texans, 9-7, are guaranteed to be the No. 4 seed.
Although the Chiefs will have a bye that keeps them out of the AFC Wild Card round, we know that they will play one of these seven teams in the Divisional round of the postseason:
- Baltimore Ravens
- Cincinnati Bengals
- Denver Broncos
- Houston Texans
- Los Angeles Chargers
- Miami Dolphins
- Pittsburgh Steelers
That’s known because as the No. 1 seed, the Chiefs will play the lowest remaining seed after the first-round games. That eliminates the possibility of playing the No. 2 or No. 3 seed.
The third seed in the playoffs will be either the Ravens or Steelers, depending on which team wins the AFC North. If Baltimore wins, the Steelers either will be the fifth or sixth seed and could face the Chiefs in the playoffs if Pittsburgh wins a wild-card game.
If Pittsburgh is division champs, the Ravens would be the fifth seed and could face the Chiefs if Baltimore defeats the Texans in the postseason.
As the No. 4 seed, the Texans could face the Chiefs in the Divisional round if all the higher-seeded teams win in the wild-card round.
The Chargers will either be seeded fifth or sixth in the AFC field and could come to KC if they win their wild-card game.
Finally, there are the Broncos, Dolphins or Bengals. One of those teams will be the seventh seed. If Denver, Miami or Cincinnati then beats Buffalo in the wild-card round, they’d be coming to Arrowhead Stadium to face the Chiefs.
With that, here are the Week 18 games that Chiefs fans might want to pay close attention to this weekend.
Browns at Ravens
3:30 p.m. Saturday on ESPN and ABC (Ch. 9)
The skinny: A rematch with Baltimore could be in the offing in the Divisional round if Baltimore loses out on the division but wins its first playoff game.
Bengals at Steelers
7 p.m. Saturday on ESPN and ABC (Ch. 9)
The skinny: As noted, there is a chance the Chiefs could face either of these teams in the playoffs and both would be a rematch.
Texas at Titans
Noon Sunday (not on local TV)
The skinny: While Houston likely will rest its starters, the Texans next meaningful game could be at Arrowhead Stadium.
Chargers at Raiders
3:25 p.m. Sunday (not on local TV)
The skinny: LA will know if it has a chance at the No. 5 seed by kickoff, so the Chargers might be locked into the sixth seed with nothing to play for in this one.
Dolphins at Jets
3:25 p.m. Sunday on Fox 4
The skinny: The narrative of the Chiefs controlling the Bengals fate conveniently skips over one detail. Even if Denver loses, Miami would be in the playoffs ahead of Cincinnati if the Dolphins win this game.
Chiefs at Broncos
3:25 p.m. on CBS (KCTV 5)
The skinny: If Denver wins this game (or Miami and Cincinnati lose), then the Chiefs’ next game could be against the Broncos. That is, if Denver were to beat Buffalo in a Wild Card game.
