The NFL playoff race usually provides a lot of drama over the final few weeks of the regular-season, but that might not be the case this year, at least in the AFC.
In what would potentially be a nightmare scenario for the NFL, the AFC could have all seven playoff spots clinched by the end of Week 16. If that happens, the final two weeks of the regular season would definitely lose some luster in the AFC, which is definitely not what the NFL wants to see.
If every AFC spot gets clinched by the end of Sunday, it would be unprecedented: According to NFL playoff guru Joe Ferreira, since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970, no conference has ever had ALL of its playoff berths clinched with two weeks left to play in the season and that's exactly what could happen in the AFC if all the spots are clinched after Week 16.
So what has to happen for this nightmare scenario to unfold? It starts on Thursday night with the Broncos playing the Chargers in a huge showdown with major playoff implications.
Here is the scenario where every AFC playoff spot gets filled this week:
It would definitely take a few upsets, but upsets happen all the time in divisional games, which is what we're getting three of the four games above. Also, no one would be surprised if the 49ers beat the Dolphins in a game where San Francisco is currently favored by one point.
If these four results happen, then all seven playoff spots will be locked up in the AFC with two weeks left to play. This would be unfortunate for the NFL, but it could turn into a total nightmare scenario if the following three things also happen:
If these three results were to happen, that means ALL four divisions would be clinched after Week 16 and the Chiefs would have clinched the No. 1 overall seed. At that point, the only drama over the final two weeks of the season would involve the Ravens, Chargers and Broncos battling it out to see which wild-card seed they end up with. The Steelers and Bills would also be battling it out for the second and third seeds, but for all intents and purposes, there wouldn't be much drama.
Of course, all of this can be avoided if the Broncos win on Thursday night. If Denver wins, there's no scenario where all seven AFC playoff spots can be clinched this week.
