AFC Playoff Picture Implications of Broncos victor

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One of the Monday night ended just before midnight with the beating the to clinch a playoff berth. That wasn't only AFC postseason ramification to emerge from an overtime cla sic featuring more on the line than any other 2015 matchup.Here is you need to know from the game:With the victory, the avoided free-falling out of the playoffs and kept control of the AFC West. They now can clinch the division and a playoff bye next week with a home victory over the four-win .We wouldn't quite hand the the division just yet. San Diego has played better the last two weeks and Denver did slip up recently in a home lo s to Oakland. But fans have to feel a lot better than they did when they were trailing 14-0 to the on Monday night.The mi sed a golden opportunity to make the Divisional Round after failing to build on a two-touchdown lead. Cincinnati no longer has a chance to win the No. 1 seed in the AFC. That's especially damaging because to play on Wild Card Weekend. would wind up winning a playoff game before Dalton.The could still win a playoff bye, however, if they beat the next week and the slip up against San Diego. If nothing else, perhaps mi sing the bye gives Marvin Lewis a better chance to end his playoff drought.The Jacob Barnes Jersey narrowly mi sed jumping into first place in the AFC West because of the ' lo s. They remain in the No. 5 slot and could still take the division if they win and the lose. Kansas City's home game against the starts at the same time as -, so the need to play to win.! Part One of their 10-part dream to win the AFC South came to fruition with the ' win. Unfortunately, Indianapolis might have to start at quarterback against Tenne see in the season finale. The , meanwhile, presumably will play to win next week with the division not technically clinched yet. It's a weird situation. The had roughly a 3,300-to-1 chance to win the division before Monday night's game. The ' win increases that slightly, but it's a bizarre situation for Houston. The have e sentially made the playoffs without actually making the playoffs.The clinching a playoff spot eliminated one potential path for the to get into the wild card. Now it's simple: Pittsburgh Cleveland, and hope Rex Ryan exacts revenge in a win over the .The - is the most interesting on the AFC slate in despite all the injuries for the . Rex Ryan has a track record of emotional finales, and it would be ironic if the were on the wrong end of things this time around. Buffalo's banged-up roster and lackluster recent play makes an upset unlikely. But this is the NFL. It's far more likely than the beating the . And this same team trailed and the in the fourth quarter just a week ago.The will earn the No. 1 seed in the AFC with a win in Miami next week. Losing that game early in the day would open the door for the to earn home-field advantage in the afternoon.Got all that? If you di secting the NFC, . Jacob Young Jersey