But, just as Week Twelve was bigger than Week Eleven ... Week Thirteen is bigger than Week Twelve. And this week in the AFC, we have a virtual playoff game at the Ketchup Bottle, a virtual playoff game in Indy, a "winner likely takes the West" showdown at Terrorhead, one amazing and intriguing Sunday Nighter at Reliant between who I believe are the two best teams in the AFC (sorry, Ravens) ... oh, and those red-hot and rolling Ravens?
Host the best team the other conference has to offer, fresh off a thirty point ass raping of their own giving against a very credible NFC Super Bowl contender (Packers).
Buckle up kiddos. This is gonna be one fun weekend of football.
First, here are your up-to-the-moment AFC standings:
(Note: if tiebreaker(s) held don't / didn't really matter to this week's standings, I didn't include them. That, and if you're a fan of the sport, you can figure out when teams are tied without facing each other, conference record becomes the tiebreaker that matters.)
Here then are your Week Thirteen Chiefs Rooting Interests:
* Biggest Game: Browns at Steelers (Sunday, noon CT, CBS). Simply put, this is a playoff game. No ifs, and's, or but's about it. The winner is still facing an uphill battle to reach January ... but the loser is toast.
If the Steelers lose, then the Browns will own the tiebreaker via a head to head sweep, and with a very favorable schedule left, the Browns will be in solid playoff positioning entering a pretty soft December schedule. (They close vs Bengals / at "Super" Cardinals / vs Ravens / at Bengals. That's doable ... especially since they already won at Baltimore.)
If the Steelers win, then the Browns are all but done, as they'll fall two behind a wild card slot with four to play, have already lost the tiebreaker to Buffalo, and would have no way to credibly make up ground against the teams in front of them. And not only would the Steelers move to the top of the surviving 7-5 teams, and like the Browns, they have a very favorable schedule down the stretch (at "Super" Cardinals / vs Bills / at Jets / at Ravens).
If you're coming out to tailgate with us, I'll have this one pulled up on the iPad; it's our local CBS game at noon. (Thank you Channel 5!)
* Root For: Browns. Chaos folks, chaos. Also, if the wild card teams keep piling up losses, it helps provide a back door road to January for the Chiefs. Double also, would anyone be upset to see Baker and Mahomies throw down to open January? Because I wouldn't be. That, and I don't care if they were starting a corpse under center, I want no part of the Steelers anywhere, anytime, or anyplace.
Especially Arrowhead in January. #notgoodtimes
* Second Biggest Game: Titans at Colts (Sunday, noon CT, CBS). The Colts won the first game in Nashville three months ago 19-17, on a few stunning Adam Vinatieri field goals. (Stunning, in that he made them.) As much of a roll as the Titans have been on lately (winning four of five since switching to Ryan Tannehill at quarterback), that roll needs the butter of a victory over the Colts on it, to be edible (rimshot!) Otherwise, their Christmas goose may be cooked before the Thanksgiving leftovers are thrown away.
* Root For: (I Think) Titans. They have a much tougher closing schedule (at raiders / vs Texans / at Saints / at Texans) than the Colts (at Bucs / at Saints / vs Panthers / at Jags). Both teams, though, hold tiebreaker over the Chiefs, so if it comes down to that for the last slot in the (hootie johnson voice) toonumunt, well ... let's just hope it doesn't, come down to that.
* Third Biggest Game: Bills at Cowboys (Thursday, 3:30pm CT, CBS). You can argue Patriots at Texans is bigger, and I won't necessarily disagree with you ... but for playoff purposes, this one is much bigger. The Bills have already clinched a .500 record, and realistically, with the flotsam and jetsam and abject raw sewage the race for the second AFC wild card is, all they need to do is win twice more, and they'll be in, probably as the top wild card (five seed), probably hoofing it to the South or West champion, to open the postseason.
But here's the thing. They have maybe -- maybe! -- one "should win it" game left: the finale against a resurgent Jets team at The Ralph. Their next four, counting this week, are at Dallas / vs Baltimore / at Pittsburgh / at New England.
My way of saying: if the Bills don't circle the wagons in Jerry World today, they may not get to ten wins. Sh*t, if they lose today? They may not even get to nine! And no matter how rank and stank that collection of teams trying to get the sixth seed may smell? At least two of them are getting to nine wins. Eight ain't getting you in.
* Root For: Cowboys. For one day, for approximately four hours, they truly are America's team. (At least if you're a Chiefs fan.)
Other Rooting Interests.
* Patriots at Texans: Patriots. A Texans win pretty much seals shut the first round bye door for the Chiefs. A Patriots win keeps it cracked open enough to allow the whiff of a dream to keep floating through.
* 49ers at Ravens: 49ers. The best game of the day that isn't at Arrowhead or Reliant. (Thanks to our good friends at FOX4, we can pull this one up on the iPad too! Isn't technology amazing!) And frankly, it's probably better than both of those games too. This is gonna be one fun Sunday nighter.
* Bucs at Jaguars: Bucs. One more loss ought to eliminate the Jaguars from realistic contention.
* "Super" Chargers at those people:
* Jets at Bengals: Bengals. The Jets aren't dead yet. They're on life support ... but the cord is still plugged in.
* Eagles at Dolphins: Eagles. Always root for the other conference, unless it hurts your team's chances.
Hope each and every one of y'all enjoys Turkey Day! May it be as plastered with food, booze, and hangovers as my family's usually is ...
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