With three weeks remaining the season, the is shaping up to be a lot more interesting than the NFC. included a dramatic shakeup in the top three teams, Mike Webster Jersey a fallen team in the wild card race, and two more divisions suddenly in play. You can see the . In the meantime, let's break down all the impact below. Bengals in troubleThe were the big winners Sunday, zooming back to the No. 1 seed in the AFC while looking like the again in the proce s. Despite all their injuries, this is the best defense since 2004. They e sentially get a bye this week with a home game against Tenne see, before a big game at the in Week 16. The could now lose that game and still get a bye. They could potentially even lose a third game and still get the No. 1 seed. It's hard to imagine the not earning a playoff bye for the sixth straight year, which is one of the more underrated achievements in sports. The previous record was four straight by the Bill Walsh . Long term, 's broken thumb could still Louis Lipps Jersey be the most devastating injury news in an NFL season full of them. The good news is , as NFL Media Ian Rapoport reported, and the hope is that he will be back for the playoffs. In his absence, we still can't count out the from earning a playoff bye. Backup looked better than you think against Pittsburgh and he's surrounded by plenty of talent. The should still be favored to beat the (Week 15) and (Week 17) with McCarron.Denver's lo s to the was nearly as damaging as Cincinnati falling short to Pittsburgh. The will be underdogs on the road this week in Pittsburgh, and could be staring at a two-game losing streak. That would leave the with a "must win" in Week 16 on Monday night against the or they'd risk falling out of the division lead. Sure, the look weakened with McCarron. But do we really know that the have some huge quarterback advantage with Osweiler? And will they consider going back to if they lose two straight games before facing the ? The and are fascinating because they still have a legitimate chance to win the No. 1 seed, and they could theoretically fall into the wild card race. AFC North, West back up for grabs?Dare to dream, and fans. Both teams are two games back in their division with three games to play. The are in the better spot to steal a division title because they would own the tiebreaks over Denver in the event of a tie at 11-5. The should win the AFC North even if they tie Pittsburgh at 11-5. One more conference win for the (including the in Week 17) clinches the division.So if you are into doomsday scenarios, fans should be more worried. They have two tough games remaining and the don't have any winning teams left on their schedule.Of course, the and are far from guaranteed to even make the playoffs ... Three teams Jordan Berry Jersey for two spotsGoodnight, . In some years, a Rex Ryan led team could lose a big December game and improbably rally to make the playoffs. (Think 2009 .) This is not one of those years. The are now two games back of the , , and with three weeks left. There's little reason to believe that nine wins could be enough to make the playoffs, and the 6-7 haven't won three straight games all year anyhow. Why start now? That leaves the , , and fighting for two spots. The have the clearest path with three games against Landry Jones Jersey losing teams and a head-to-head win over Pittsburgh. They also have the best conference record by two games. In short: The are very likely to make the playoffs. They could lose once, and still have a good chance to get in via tiebreak.The and have tougher schedules and a bigger need to win out. Pittsburgh hosts Denver this week, which is the ' toughest game left. The have two very tricky games against the and in Buffalo Week 17. The also would lose a tiebreak with Pittsburgh at 10-6 unle s the ' remaining lo s was to the . Got all that? Add it all up, and the have the toughest path to the playoffs of the three teams.About that AFC SouthThe race for the top wild card spot in the AFC matters because the winner gets a big reward: A game at the AFC South champion. The winner of Sunday's - game will be at 7-7, up one game with two to play. If the win, the race will almost be over. They will have the season sweep and e sentially lead by a game and a half. The game could feature versus or versus . We're losing our appetite for caring about this division.The have climbed back into the race Sunday despite their 5-8 record. Their remaining schedule is quite manageable with a home game against Atlanta before road tilts in New Orleans and Houston. Then again, the probably need to win out for a legitimate chance to make it. Do we really think this up and down team can end the season on a four-game winning streak? Tune in next week, when all of the words above Joe Greene Jersey prove irrelevant after Week 15 upsets.