Six weeks into the NFL season and the AFC playoff picture is much different than what most people projected.
The Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals have all gotten off to slow starts for various reasons, allowing other teams to get head starts in their divisions. Teams like the Indianapolis Colts, Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots have all found their way to the top of the playoff picture in the early going.
It would not be a surprise if the Chiefs, Ravens and Bengals all make runs at the playoffs and shake up the standings once again. But until then, the surprise teams all have a chance to make some noise in the postseason.
Here's a breakdown of where the AFC playoff picture currently stands.
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AFC standings
Entering Week 7, the AFC standings include surprise teams at the top and five teams with no more than one win at the bottom.
| Rank | Team | Record |
| 1. | Indianapolis Colts | 5-1 |
| 2. | Pittsburgh Steelers | 4-1 |
| 3. | Los Angeles Chargers | 4-2 |
| 4. | New England Patriots | 4-2 |
| 5. | Buffalo Bills | 4-2 |
| 6. | Jacksonville Jaguars | 4-2 |
| 7. | Denver Broncos | 4-2 |
| 8. | Kansas City Chiefs | 3-3 |
| 9. | Houston Texans | 2-3 |
| 10. | Cincinnati Bengals | 2-4 |
| 11. | Las Vegas Raiders | 2-4 |
| 12. | Baltimore Ravens | 1-5 |
| 13. | Miami Dolphins | 1-5 |
| 14. | Cleveland Browns | 1-5 |
| 15. | Tennessee Titans | 1-5 |
| 16. | New York Jets | 0-6 |
MORE: NFL power rankings for Week 7
NFL playoff picture
The current NFL playoff picture is not what most expected. While the four teams leading the NFC division are not a surprise, none of the AFC division leaders were the favorites to win their divisions before the season began.
AFC playoff picture
- AFC South: Indianapolis Colts (5-1)
- AFC North: Pittsburgh Steelers (4-1)
- AFC West: Los Angeles Chargers (4-2)
- AFC East: New England Patriots (4-2)
- Wild Card: Buffalo Bills (4-2), Jacksonville Jaguars (4-2), Denver Broncos (4-2)
If the Colts, Steelers, Chargers, and Patriots all look familiar together, that's because those four teams were among the NFL's powers almost 20 years ago.
It’s been a wild start to the season: None of the 4 AFC Division leaders from a year ago are in 1st place
— trey wingo (@wingoz) October 15, 2025
This is the latest into a season all 4 of those teams led their division at the same
time since the end of the 2007 regular season. The QBs were Tom Brady (NE), Peyton…
As of now, the Chiefs, Ravens and Bengals are all on the outside looking in.
NFC playoff picture
- NFC South: Tampa Buccaneers (5-1)
- NFC North: Green Bay Packers (3-1-1)
- NFC West: San Francisco 49ers (4-2)
- NFC East: Philadelphia Eagles (4-2)
- Wild Card: Seattle Seahawks (4-2), Detroit Lions (4-2), Los Angeles Rams (4-2)
The NFC playoff picture was much more expected, as it includes five teams that made the playoffs last year, along with the 49ers and Seahawks, two teams that many believed would be in this position.
MORE: Why the Titans fired Brian Callahan after just two seasons
AFC preseason odds
Here's a look at what the AFC odds were before the season, according to BetMGM.
- Baltimore Ravens: 7-1
- Buffalo Bills: 7-1
- Kansas City Chiefs: 8-1
- Cincinnati Bengals: 20-1
- Denver Broncos: 25-1
- Los Angeles Chargers: 28-1
- Houston Texans: 35-1
- Pittsburgh Steelers: 40-1
- Jacksonville Jaguars: 80-1
- Miami Dolphins: 80-1
- New England Patriots: 80-1
- Indianapolis Colts: 100-1
- Las Vegas Raiders: 100-1
- New York Jets: 200-1
- Tennessee Titans: 200-1
- Cleveland Browns: 300-1
MORE: How Bills' loss puts Patriots atop division for first time in four years
History of AFC champions
The AFC was established for the 1970 season when the AFL and NFL merged into one conference. The first AFC Championship game was played in 1971, with the winner moving on to play in the fifth edition of the Super Bowl.
In the history of the AFC, only four teams have failed to win the conference. This is a look at how often each team has won the AFC.
| Team | AFC Championship wins | Years |
| New England Patriots | 11 | 1985, 1996, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2011, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 8 | 1974, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1995, 2005, 2008, 2010 |
| Denver Broncos | 8 | 1977, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1997, 1998, 2013, 2015 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 5 | 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024 |
| Miami Dolphins | 5 | 1971, 1972, 1973, 1982, 1984 |
| Oakland/Los Angeles/ Las Vegas Raiders | 4 | 1976, 1980, 1983, 2002 |
| Buffalo Bills | 4 | 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993 |
| Baltimore/ Indianapolis Colts | 3 | 1970, 2006, 2009 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 3 | 1981, 1988, 2021 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 2 | 2000, 2012 |
| Tennessee Titans | 1 | 1999 |
| San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers | 1 | 1994 |
| New York Jets | 0 | N/A |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 0 | N/A |
| Cleveland Browns | 0 | N/A |
| Houston Texans | 0 | N/A |
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