The AFC Wildcard Race

It's December. For football fans that means the race for the playoffs is heating up. All season we've pretty much known that the New England Patriots and the Indianapolis Colts were locks for the playoffs. These teams have dominated their opponents all season long losing a combined total of two games.

With three games to go in the season, the Steelers, Jaguars and Chargers appear set to lock up spots in the playoffs. With one wildcard spot left. Here is a look at the teams still alive in the hunt.

Cleveland Browns- At 8-5 the Cleveland Browns appear to be the favorite to win the last spot in the playoff spot. Despite this fact the Browns have a huge game this week. A loss to Buffalo and the Browns will open a huge door for their AFC foes. The Browns have been led at quarterback by Derek Anderson.

Anderson's surprise success has kept rookie Brady Quinn on the sidelines this year. Jamal Lewis has shown he still has gas left in his tank. The Browns have been a little questionable on defense but have managed to win 8 games this year. There remaining schedule includes the Bills, Bengals and 49ers.

Buffalo Bills- The Bills find themselves in a huge game this week. As they battle the Cleveland Browns this week they have a chance to pull to a 8-6 record and be tied with the Browns for the final playoff spot. Rookie Marshawn Lynch has had a solid season and is approaching 1,000 yards on the season. If the Bills can slow down the Browns and find a way to win this game, they have a shot at making a run at the playoffs.

Houston Texans- The Texans helped their causes greatly by beating the Denver Broncos this week. The emergence of Defensive Tackle Mario Williams has made the Texans a tough defensive team. They have managed to pull to 7-7 with their win this week. The Texans will need some help from other teams to get in but their win this week keeps them very much alive.

Tennessee Titans-The Titans lost a great opportunity by losing to the Chargers this week. They still have a shot if the Browns lose a game down the stretch. At 7-6 the Titans have to be little disappointed. After starting 6-2 the team has one just 1 of there last 5 games. This is a team with a great defense. Their offense has been suspect at times. If they can win out, and get some help from Cleveland, the have a shot of getting back to the playoffs for the first time in 5 years.

With just a few weeks remaining it will be interesting to see what team pull out of the playoff hunt and gets the final AFC wildcard spot. While the Browns are the favorite, we seen in the past that anything can happen.