The case for cheering on each of the 3 teams in the AFC Wild Card race

There’s one playoff spot left up for grabs in the AFC — and three teams still in the running to claim it. The Titans, Steelers, and Raiders still have postseason hope after 16 weeks of often frustrating and occasionally great football.

That final AFC Wild Card berth currently belongs to Tennessee. But a loss against a Texans team — who beat the Titans in Week 15 — would pass the bid to Pittsburgh, assuming it can beat the AFC’s top-seeded Ravens on the road.

If both the Titans and Steelers lose and the Colts overcome the Jaguars, an 8-8 Oakland team could sneak into playoffs in the second season of Jon Gruden’s second year back at the helm. That scenario requires the Raiders to finish their season with a road victory against the Broncos.

Consider the possibilities. We’re looking at a postseason led by either:

That’s wild. One of those guys is going to start a playoff game in 2019!

But who will it be? The final week of the season will present the postseason race with a favorite, an underdog, and one agent of chaos aiming to fill out the AFC’s six-team field. Here’s why you should root for each one:

For the past three seasons, Tennessee has finished its season smack dab at 9-7. If they can maintain this consistency for one more year, it’ll get the franchise back to the playoffs for the second time in three years.

Tennessee has certainly looked like the AFC’s sixth-best team over the past 11 weeks. At the time Marcus Mariota was benched, the Titans were 2-4. Under the resurgent Tannehill, the Titans climbed back to 8-7, at one point winning six of seven to vault into the postseason race. The former Dolphin has been the catalyst. In his nine starts, he’s thrown for 2,400 yards and 20 touchdowns while rushing for four more. His 118.7 passer rating in that span is third-best in the NFL — behind only presumptive 2019 MVP Lamar Jackson and all-time great Drew Brees.

He’s not the only one showing out in Nashville. Derrick Henry has morphed into one of the game’s top tailbacks alongside Tannehill. He’s gained 918 yards (along with nine rushing touchdowns) in eight games since the Titans made their QB switch. Tennessee’s receiving corps is stocked with young, athletic pass catchers who can torch opposing defenses that fail to prepare adequately.

This team’s still got its flaws. The offensive line has been lesser than the sum of its parts. The defense has been middling (15th in defensive efficiency, per DVOA, and 17th in yards allowed per play). Mike Vrabel occasionally makes completely indefensible decisions.

Tennessee has only beaten one team with a winning record this fall ... but that was Kansas City in Week 10. Earning the sixth seed would set up a rematch in the Wild Card round. I would watch the hell out of that — especially if Tannehill can keep up his borderline MVP caliber play at quarterback. — Christian D’Andrea

Let’s get this out of the way first: The Steelers are painful to watch. After losing Ben Roethlisberger way back in September, the team hasn’t been able to do much of anything on offense.

Pittsburgh’s 8-7 record is mostly thanks to a defense that is No. 1 in the NFL in takeaways and fourth in both points and yards allowed. That group is the reason the Steelers are in striking distance of the playoffs. All that needs to happen is:

That’s an easy and realistic scenario, especially with Baltimore set to rest its starters after clinching the top seed in the AFC. The Steelers are that close to a wild card berth, despite having the No. 30 offense in the NFL.

Washington is the only team with fewer passing yards than the Steelers, who cycled between Mason Rudolph and Duck Hodges at quarterback. Their 3.6 yards per rushing attempt rank 28th in the NFL. Pittsburgh is the only team in the NFL that hasn’t made it through a single game in 2019 without turning the ball over.

Rudolph’s season is now over due to a shoulder injury, leaving Hodges to lead the way with no safety net. Running back James Conner and wide receiver Juju Smith-Schuster have struggled through injury-riddled seasons. It’s all so very bad.

But here we are: A team with an undrafted rookie starting at quarterback has a real shot at the postseason. Hodges has five touchdowns, eight interceptions, and averages 138.3 passing yards a game. Woof.

Watching that kind of offense in a playoff game could be painful, OR the Steelers could be the Cinderella story of January. Imagine Hodges leading Pittsburgh to upset road victory after upset road victory in the postseason. It’d be magical.

Alas, the likelier scenario is more offensive ineptitude and an early exit from the playoffs, if they even make it. But it’s the ‘What if?’ that makes the Steelers fun. — Adam Stites

I want nothing more than Oakland to make the postseason. It’s the only thing I didn’t get for Christmas this year. Yes, the Raiders are 7-8, but there is still a chance for them to get a wild card bid. To do that, Oakland needs just a few things to happen:

Most of SB Nation’s panel is predicting all of these things to happen this week.

Here are three reasons I want to see the Raiders make the postseason:

A Gruden-coached team causing some mayhem in the postseason? Extremely here for it. — Morgan Moriarty