It’s not surprising that Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs are already top contenders for the AFC, but there could be others creeping up. Here are the highlights:

• Although it Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers aren’t flawless, they still have the ability to get top-notch status for the best AFC playoff spot.
• However, this is still something to watch because there are others in the conference that may come out and surprise people.
• Teams such as Buffalo, Cleveland, Tennessee, and Indianapolis all 8-4 are all playoff ready.
• Not to mention, Baltimore and Las Vegas are still within that playoff eligibility.
• There are a lot of interesting things going on in different divisions of the AFC.
• We have to watch the playoff race and see who gets the top spot at the regular-season finale at Buffalo on Jan. 3.
• Of course, The Patriots have been that team for 11 straight years with Tom Brady, but things are a bit rocky with Belichick’s bunch.
• There are a lot of variable to measure to see what happens going forward.