The Jaguars Are Coming For The AFC’s Top Spot, And Nobody Is Ready For It

The AFC standings took a major shift thanks to the Jacksonville Jaguars’ Thursday night win, pushing them squarely into the thick of the conference’s elite. With the Pittsburgh Steelers on a bye this weekend, the Jags are guaranteed to hold at least third place, and if things break their way, they could even tie for first by Sunday night. This isn’t just a minor shuffle; it’s a full-on shake-up at the top of the conference standings.

AFC Standings Are Shaking Up, And The Tiebreakers Are Wild

Right now, the AFC playoff picture looks super tight after that Jaguars victory. Here’s how things stack up:

1. Buffalo Bills (6-1)
2. Denver Broncos (6-2, 3-1 AFC)
3. Jacksonville Jaguars (6-2, 5-2)
4. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2, 3-2 AFC)
5. Kansas City Chiefs (5-2, 5-1 AFC)
6. Cincinnati Bengals (5-2, 4-2 AFC)
7. New England Patriots (5-3, 5-1 AFC)
8. Cleveland Browns (5-3, 3-3 AFC)
9. Las Vegas Raiders (4-4)
10. Baltimore Ravens (4-5)
11. Houston Texans (2-5)
12. New York Jets (2-6, 2-3 AFC)
13. Indianapolis Colts (2-6, 1-5 AFC)
14. Miami Dolphins (1-6)
15. Tennessee Titans (1-7)
16. Los Angeles Chargers (0-7)

Talk about a logjam at 6-2! The Jaguars, Broncos, and Steelers are all tied up, and the tiebreakers are doing some heavy lifting. Since these three haven’t all played each other yet, the head-to-head-to-head rule gets skipped. It goes straight to conference record. That’s where the Broncos get the edge, sitting at 3-1 in the AFC, pushing them to the two seed. Then, comparing the Jaguars and Steelers, Jacksonville’s strong 5-2 AFC record puts them ahead of Pittsburgh’s 3-2 mark, securing the Jags the three seed and leaving the Steelers at four. Every single game matters, especially the conference matchups.

How High Can Jacksonville Climb? The Path To Second Is Open

The Steelers are on their bye week, so the Jaguars are already ahead of them. But here’s where it gets interesting: the Jaguars can actually leapfrog the Broncos. If Denver loses to the Carolina Panthers this weekend, they’d fall to 6-3. That would put the Jaguars alone in second place in the AFC. Can you imagine? From third to second in one weekend, all because of one huge win and another team’s slip-up.

What about the top spot, though? Could they tie with the Buffalo Bills? The Bills could lose to the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night, which would put them in a 6-2 tie with Jacksonville. However, Buffalo’s dominant 5-1 AFC record means they would still hold onto that number one seed. So, for now, the absolute highest the Jaguars can get is second place behind the Bills. It’s an insane position to be in for Jacksonville, who are absolutely playing with house money after this week’s performance.

So, get ready, AFC. The Jacksonville Jaguars just sent a message, and they’re looking to keep climbing that ladder. Let’s see how the rest of the weekend plays out and if they can lock up that number two seed.

This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.

Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.