AFC could have the No. 1 seed, all four divisions and all three wild cards by Sunday

Than that NFL playoff image As the game comes into focus, it may come into focus too clearly for the AFC to have played meaningful football down the stretch.

It’s possible that by Sunday afternoon the No. 1 seed could be secured and home-field advantage in the AFC could be secured, that all four divisions in the AFC could be secured, and that all three wild card spots in the AFC could be secured. That would leave the entire AFC with very little wiggle room in Weeks 17 and 18.

The first thing that would have to happen would be for the Chiefs to win and the Bills to lose this week. That would put the Chiefs in first place in the AFC and the Bills would be AFC East champions, playing at home in the first round of the playoffs but having to go to Kansas City if they advanced that far.

Then the Steelers would win the AFC North for Pittsburgh with a win over the Ravens. Houston has already won the AFC South, so the Steelers would be the fourth and final AFC division winner.

If the Chargers win while the Bengals, Dolphins and Colts all lose, the Chargers, Broncos and Ravens would be assured of all three AFC wild card spots.

And then we would have a very clear AFC playoff picture with two weeks to go: the Chiefs would have first place and a first-round bye, the Bills, Steelers and Texans would have their divisions and would play at home in the first round, and the Chargers, Broncos and Ravens would play on the road as wild cards in the first round. There would still be some wrangling for spots 2-4 and 5-7, but the playoff picture would be largely set. And the final two weeks of the regular season would be largely irrelevant in the AFC.