Chiefs' Rooting Guide for NFL Playoff Implications of Week 15

Despite a loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 14, the Kansas City Chiefs still have an outside shot at the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage.

Granted, the margin for error is much slimmer than it was a week ago. Patrick Mahomes and Co. are sitting at the No. 3 seed and are two games behind the 10-3 Baltimore Ravens.

However, the Ravens have the toughest schedule in the league, according to Tankathon, over the final four weeks. They'll get the Niners, Dolphins, Jaguars and Steelers to finish out the season. All four of those teams are in the playoffs if they started today.

Meanwhile, the Chiefs have the 29th toughest schedule. They get the Bengals, Patriots, Chargers and Raiders. Only the Bengals have a chance at making the postseason.

So don't count out Andy Reid's squad yet. They could very well win out the rest of the way. Then they just need some help to maximize their seeding. Here are three results that would help them this week.

Lions over Broncos

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Jahmyr Gibbs

The Chiefs have their eyes set on the first and second seeds, but there's still work to be done in the AFC West. With the loss to the Bills, the surging Broncos were able to pull within one game of the division leaders.

Denver started the season 1-5, but they have won six of their last seven to get to 7-6. That includes a 24-9 win over the Chiefs so they have seen firsthand how dangerous they can be.

With a primetime slot at 8:15 p.m. ET on Saturday night, the Broncos have a massive game against the Lions on tap. Detroit has looked like an NFC contender for most of the season but a recent slump has them 1-2 in their last three games, including a 28-13 loss to the Bears last week.

The Lions have had the AFC West's number so far this season. They are 3-0 against the division on the season.

Their recent form is troubling, though. They combined for six turnovers in their two losses over the last three weeks. If they do that against the Broncos, they won't win.

The Chiefs need to hope that the Lions are able to hold onto the ball and that Jared Goff takes care of the football in the passing game to complete the AFC West sweep.

Jets over Dolphins

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Bryce Huff

Even if the Chiefs can't close the two-game gap with the Ravens, the No. 2 seed could still be in play. Right now that would be the difference between getting matched up with the Colts or the Steelers.

While the Chiefs shouldn't be afraid of either of those teams, the Steelers defense would be a trickier matchup to navigate. Plus, there's the likelihood that whoever gets that sixth seed is going to be a team on a roller given how competitive the wildcard picture is in the conference.

That should make all Chiefs fans of the New York Jets on Sunday when the Jets meet the Dolphins at 1 p.m. ET.

Typically, rooting for the Jets this season has been an exercise in frustration. But a lot of that frustration came out in a 30-6 win over the Houston Texans last week. Zach Wilson put together one of his best games as a pro and the Jets dominated the second half against a beat-up Texans team trying to stay in the playoff race.

That should offer just enough hope that the Jets could go for upset No. 2 in as many weeks.

The Dolphins are already coming off an upset loss. They were stunned when they blew a 14-point lead with just a few minutes left against the Tennessee Titans last week.

Like the Texans, they are dealing with several tough injuries. The offensive line was already beaten up and Connor Williams tore his ACL in the game, leaving them with just two of their starting offensive linemen.

The Jets pass rush against a worn down Dolphins offensive line is the matchup to watch.

Jaguars over Ravens

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Trevor Lawrence

This game is a bit of a double-edged sword.

The Jaguars are tied with the Chiefs at 8-5, but Kansas City currently has the edge for the No. 3 seed. If the Jaguars win, it would be a pretty big feather in their cap and put them in a better position to eventually surpass Kansas City of the three-seed.

On the other hand, a Ravens loss would make the No. 1 seed more attainable.

Ultimately, the chance to get a bye week in the playoffs is a nice enough reward to be pulling for the Jaguars in this one.

The bad news is that the Jaguars haven't been at the top of their game lately. Trevor Lawrence is dealing with an ankle injury that he suffered two weeks ago. He suited up against the Browns, but appeared to have limited mobility as the Browns pass rush registered four sacks and picked him off three times.

It was the second loss in the row for the Jags. The secondary has struggled as both Jake Browning and Joe Flacco had success against Jacksonville's defense. They've given up 65 combined points to the two Ohio teams.

Still, the Ravens have played a lot of close games this season and needed a punt return touchdown in overtime to beat the Rams last week.

Surely, the Jaguars can pull it together and challenge the AFC leader.