It's rapidly approaching crunch time in the NFL schedule, where teams discover whether they have a legitimate shot at the playoffs or whether they're going to have to start planning for their early-round draft pick in the off-season.
And after Week 10 of the 2018-19 NFL campaign, the playoff picture is beginning to become clearer in the AFC as the contenders solidify their spots and the also-rans begin to drop off the pace.
Let's take a look at the likely AFC contenders to be battling it out in the post-season:
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AFC West
The Kansas City Chiefs are a lock for a playoff place, and only a major drop-off in form can prevent them from progressing as divisional champions.
Andy Reid's offense is absolutely flying, with Patrick Mahomes' cannon of an arm flinging the ball to an array of spectacular attacking weapons, both from out wide and coming out of the backfield.
But while the Chiefs' progression seems a virtual foregone conclusion (as of 13 November, they're 1/7 with Betway to win the division and 15/8 favorites to win the conference), the most intriguing team in the West is the Los Angeles Chargers.
Some pundits believe Anthony Lynn's men have the strength to pose a major post-season challenge, especially if they can get Joey Bosa back into the defense and firing on all cylinders before the season's end.
Sitting at 7-2, the Chargers currently have a record that would see them top each of the other AFC divisions, and sitting as 5/1 fourth-favorites to win the conference, they might provide some shock value if they can continue their development into the post-season.
Denver, meanwhile, is enduring a disastrous season and coach Vance Joseph's time in charge at the Broncos may soon be coming to an end.
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AFC North
The Pittsburgh Steelers may have been involved in the biggest will-they, won't-they storyline since Ross and Rachel in Friends with their on-off relationship with running back Le'Veon Bell, but that hasn't stopped them emerging as clear favorites to win the AFC North.
Thanks in no small part to Bell's replacement, James Conner, the Steelers have rebounded well from a 0-1-1 start to lead the division through Week 10, and look like they're beginning to find their form, with Ben Roethlisberger throwing more touchdown passes (five) than incompletions as they put 52 points on the Carolina Panthers in Week 10.
Elsewhere in the division, the Cincinnati Bengals and the Baltimore Ravens both have a shot at a wildcard place if they can string a few wins together in the back end of their season. The Bengals started the season looking like fringe contenders, while the Ravens have fallen off after an encouraging start.
Could now be the time for Lamar Jackson to step in and revitalize the Ravens' offense for a late-season playoff charge?
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AFC South
The most wide-open division in the entire NFL, the divisional title in the South is up for grabs, with the Houston Texans holding a slender one-game advantage over the Tennessee Titans, who have recovered from three straight losses with back-to-back wins over the Cowboys and the Patriots.
It's beginning to look like Mike Vrabel's men are starting to click at a crucial stage of the season, and if Marcus Mariota can continue to grow at quarterback, the Titans might just overhaul the Texans, whose offensive line is doing them – and oft-hit quarterback Deshaun Watson – no favors.
Don't rule out the Colts, either. They're on a three-game win streak and trending in the right direction.
This division is going down the wire.
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AFC East
The biggest lock in football is the Patriots to win the AFC East. Even though they were undone by an inspired Titans performance in Week 10, they remain the team to beat in the East – and in the AFC.
Sure, the Chiefs are firing on all cylinders in the West, but they don't have that playoff pedigree yet. And any AFC team looking to win a Super Bowl knows they will likely have to beat Bill Belichick's men to get there.
The big question is whether the Pats can do enough to earn the No.1 seed and lock in that all-important home-field advantage. Without it, their path to the Vince Lombardi Trophy looks significantly more tricky.
The Dolphins look the best bet for a possible wild card contender from the East, but they will almost certainly have to improve on their .500 record to get there.
