George Walker IV / Tennessean.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

Bengals, Titans, Patriots, Bills all clinch AFC playoff berths

The jumbled AFC playoff picture finally took a step toward clarity in Week 17 when four teams from the conference all clinched within minutes of each other. 

The Cincinnati Bengals and Tennessee Titans are officially AFC North and AFC South champions, respectively. Both the New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills are also in the playoffs, although Week 18 will decide which team is the AFC East champ.

Heading into Week 17, only the Kansas City Chiefs had secured a postseason berth. With four more teams added to the AFC bracket, there are now just two wild card berths up for grabs in the final week of the season.

The Las Vegas Raiders and Indianapolis Colts currently sit in those spots with matching 9-7 records, although the Los Angeles Chargers can pull even with those teams with a win against the Denver Broncos. The Raiders and Chargers are scheduled to meet in Week 18.

Not far behind that trio are the 8-8 Miami Dolphins and 8-8 Baltimore Ravens. The winner of a Monday Night Football matchup between the 7-7-1 Pittsburgh Steelers and 7-8 Cleveland Browns will also join the mix.

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