AFC Playoffs Set: Broncos Claim No. 1 Seed While Patriots Settle For 2-Seed
BOSTON (CBS) -- The playoff picture is complete in the AFC.
The New England Patriots will host either Cincinnati, Houston, or Kansas City Saturday, January 16 at Gillette Stadium. Kickoff is at 4:35 p.m. You can watch it live on WBZ-TV or listen on 98.5 The Sports Hub.
Peyton Manning returned to the field for the Broncos on Sunday and helped them earn a 27-20 win over the San Diego Chargers, giving Denver the AFC's top seed and home field advantage up until the Super Bowl.
The Patriots were the No. 1 seed entering Sunday's Week 17 slate of games, but fell to the Dolphins to finish the regular season 12-4 and miss their opportunity to claim conference's top spot.
Both the Broncos and Patriots will get a first-round bye as the rest of the remaining AFC teams battle in next week's Wild Card round:
(6) Pittsburgh Steelers vs. (3) Cincinnati Bengals
(5) Kansas City Chiefs vs. (4) Houston Texans
The lowest remaining seed after Wild Card weekend will travel to Denver, with the Patriots facing the Bengals or the winner of Houston vs. Kansas City.
The one team New England will not face in two weeks is the Pittsburgh Steelers, who were the last team to claim a playoff berth in the AFC. They clinched the No. 6 seed thanks to their win over the Cleveland Browns and a New York Jets loss to the Buffalo Bills.
The Jets could have clinched a playoff spot with a win, but instead are heading home for the fifth straight season.