Wednesday 24 January 2018 18:30, UK
With the play-offs starting this weekend, Sky Sports ranks all six contenders in the AFC conference.
It was the New England Patriots who claimed top spot to secure home advantage, with the Kansas City Chiefs in second place.
The Pittsburgh Steelers, Houston Texans, Oakland Raiders and Miami Dolphins make up the rest of the conference representatives, but who will triumph to claim a place in the Super Bowl?
Despite losing talismanic quarterback Tom Brady for the first four games of the season, the Patriots still began the season 3-1, jumping to an early lead in the AFC East. Since Brady's return, the offence have been firing on all cylinders, to a wide range of receivers.
Most importantly for Bill Belichick's team, the defence looks stronger than it did a year ago, and has allowed the fewest points per game this season (15.6).
There are chinks in the armour, though. Of their two losses this season, both came at home. One of those was to the Bills, where Brady, Rob Gronkowski and Rob Ninkovich were all missing. The other came in week 10, following a bye week, against the Seattle Seahawks.
Gronkowski is still missing, but the offence has shown it can be adaptable. The key to beating the Patriots will be to score, and score often, and hope that your defence can get to Brady quickly.
Granted a rest week because of their week 17 victory, the Chiefs jumped from fifth to second seed. After a mixed start which left the team 2-2 at their bye week, Kansas City dropped just two more games after that to close the season with a 12-4 record.
Much of their success has come down to winning the turnover battle. Quarterback Alex Smith is a game-manager who protects the ball well, while the defence leads the league in both interceptions and fumbles.
Rookie Tyreek Hill has been a standout performer, closing out the season with four 60+ yard touchdowns in as many games.
The strength of this team lies in its defence, and particularly the secondary where Marcus Peters and Eric Berry have dominated all season. Offensively, this team can be inconsistent, but the return of wide receiver Jeremy Maclin may give head coach Andy Reid the play-off boost he has been looking for.
After a mid-season blip where the Steelers dropped four consecutive games, it was an impressive finish as quarterback Ben Roethlisberger led his team on a seven-week unbeaten run to clinch the AFC North.
Pittsburgh possess two of the most dynamic weapons in the NFL, with both wide receiver Antonio Brown and running back Le'Veon Bell healthy and rested after sitting out week 17.
Though Mike Tomlin hasn't quite assembled a Pittsburgh defence of old, intimidating front lines which would come to be known the 'Steeler Curtain', there are elements of this year's defensive unit that make it a formidable proposition. Linebacker Ryan Shazier has made big plays, while cornerback Artie Burns is having an impressive rookie season.
Drawing the Dolphins may have been the toughest assignment of the Wild Card round, particularly for the Steelers who have struggled in defending the run. They do have home advantage, and Roethlisberger will look to run up the score when he gets an opportunity.
Ranked sixth officially, the Dolphins jump two seeds here because of the weaknesses displayed from our final two teams. Miami have had an impressive season, overcoming a 1-4 start to finish the year 10-6.
Rookie head coach Adam Gase will face an uncertain wait over his starting quarterback, with Ryan Tannehill set to resume practice this week. Gase previously stated that he would prefer to start Tannehill, who injured his knee and has missed the last three games, but it will all depend on the QB's ability to escape the pocket and make plays happen.
Without Tannehill, the Dolphins will turn to Matt Moore, who has thrown eight touchdowns and three interceptions in his four appearances this year.
Running back Jay Ajayi is the weapon of choice in Miami's attack, and will hope to exploit Pittsburgh's running defence. Back in week six when the Dolphins last played the Steelers, Ajayi took control, with 204 yards and two touchdowns. He will be hoping for a similar role this weekend, as Miami look to advance past the Wild Card round for the first time since 2000.
It is a difficult split between the last two, because of the quarterback issues that surround both organisations. Houston qualify for the post-season courtesy of a weak division, and have suffered from inconsistent QB play throughout the season.
Brock Osweiler, brought in on a $72m, four-year deal from the Denver Broncos, has failed to lead the offence and in week 15 was benched in place of Tom Savage. However, a concussion suffered by Savage will give Osweiler a second chance.
By fortune, the Texans will play against the only team with a worse quarterback situation than them, which offers this offence a glimmer of hope. Houston also have home advantage in this game, and boast a defence which has given up the fewest yards this season.
The unluckiest team in this year's play-off race, the Raiders look forced to hand a debut start to quarterback Connor Cook, in the franchise's first play-off appearance for 14 years.
Following the broken leg sustained by Derek Carr on Christmas Eve, Oakland turned to veteran back-up Matt McGloin, only for the second string QB to leave week 17 with a shoulder injury. There is a chance he could play, but neither option will boost team confidence.
Latavius Murray and a dynamic running game will be key for the Raiders, and it will come down to key play-makers on both sides of the ball to rally the team. Khalil Mack has been touted as a Defensive Player of the Year candidate, and Amari Cooper will have to be on top form, if he is to aid the inexperienced quarterback and help Oakland progress.
You can watch all the NFL action from Wild Card weekend live on Sky Sports 1. Join Dara, Neil and Jeff on Saturday night from 9pm, and again on Sunday from 5:30pm.
