THE FRIDAY STOOTS 6-PACK
AFC playoff picture tightening up midseason
Nov 9, 2018, 8:35 am
The Texans have a bye so a look at the rest of the NFL with an emphasis on the AFC is on deck.
1. It seems likely the Texans will head out of the bye with a lead of two games in the AFC South. The Titans play host to the Patriots and the Jaguars play the Colts on Sunday. Indianapolis and Jacksonville's winner will be 4-5 and if Tennessee loses they will be 4-5. With an easier schedule than most and all their division games being at home it would seem the Texans would have to shoot themselves in the foot to not make the playoffs.
2. The Chargers at 6-2 complicate the AFC playoff picture to a great degree. Either they or the Chiefs will win the AFC West and the other will end up seeded fifth and going on the road. That will be a tough out for the team who is seeded fourth in the AFC. Pittsburgh is on a roll right now and by virtue of their tie instead of a loss, they have a slight advantage over the Texans in the eventual final AFC standings. The likelihood the Texans play the loser of the AFC West seems fairly high at this point. The idea of hosting either the Chiefs or Chargers is exciting, but a daunting task should the standings shake out that way.
3. Cincinnati enters their second half of the season in very interesting waters. They're healthy at running back again but A.J. Green is set to miss time. Tyler Boyd has been excellent this year but how will he handle the top receiver spot? Andy Dalton is playing much better than his recent seasons and the Bengals defense is playing good enough to keep them in the hunt. They are likely the favorites to be seeded sixth but they could easily be in a fight with the rest of the pack if they hit a rough patch. First up out of their bye is a showdown with the Saints and then a divisional match with the Ravens.
4. Miami is 2-2 with Brock Osweiler starting and they need him to play better to stick in the AFC hunt. They still have both games against the Bills left but their schedule is pretty tough. If Osweiler falters and Ryan Tannehill isn't yet ready the Dolphins may be sunk. The Ravens, Titans, and winners in this weekend's Indianapolis and Jacksonville game will be nipping at their heels. They are all, of course, trying to catch the Bengals.
5. The NFC picture lacks clarity compared to the AFC. Nine teams are .500 or better and Green Bay is 3-4-1 which could help them in a tiebreaker situation. Atlanta is streaking right now. The Seahawks have played better after a rough start. The defending Super Bowl champions loom in the middle of the pack in a division that isn't dominated by the current leader Washington. It's shaping up to be a fun race.
6. It is likely the Texans will come out of their bye with just two of their remaining opponents owning winning records. Washington and the Eagles seem poised to be those teams. With the poor opponent records, the Texans likely won't be seen as legitimate contenders with only a couple of opportunities to impress pundits. If there was a playoff committee assembling the eight best NFL teams the would likely leave the Texans out. Thankfully there's not. Still plenty of time to get healthy and then hopefully show off the true potential of this Texans team.
Jose Altuve and Victor Caratini hit three-run home runs in a seven-run sixth inning and the Houston Astros had a season-high 20 hits in an 11-4 victory over the Athletics on Wednesday night.
THE GOAT LAUNCHES ONE!#VoteAltuve ⭐️ https://t.co/W06pfHQMR1 pic.twitter.com/iLGHl47ZQH
— Houston Astros (@astros) June 19, 2025
Framber Valdez (8-4) limited the A's to two runs and five hits in six innings to help the Astros win for the seventh time in eight games.
Altuve, Caratini, Jeremy Peña, Cam Smith, and Jake Meyers had three hits apiece, and Yanier Diaz and Mauricio Dubón each added two.
Cam The Man delivers!
6-1 Astros!#VoteCam ⭐️ https://t.co/W06pfHQMR1 pic.twitter.com/kpfgDCK3x0
— Houston Astros (@astros) June 19, 2025
Nick Kurtz hit a double and scored on a single by Austin Wynns to give the Athletics a 1-0 lead in the second. The 22-year-old rookie had a solo homer in the ninth.
Dubón hit a leadoff homer in the third inning and Peña's RBI single off starter Luis Severino (2-7) in the fourth made it 2-1.
The Athletics had a four-game win streak snapped Tuesday with a 13-3 loss to Houston.
Tyler Ferguson replaced Severino to start the sixth and gave up a single to Meyers before Dubón grounded into a 4-6-3 double play but Peña followed with a single, Isaac Paredes followed with a walk and Altuve's three-run shot sparked Houston's seven-run sixth that made it 9-1.
The Athletics gave up three home runs and have yielded a major league-leading 113 this season, sixth most before the All-Star break in franchise history. The A's are on pace to allow 247 homers this season and shatter the franchise record of 220 set by the 1964 Kansas City A’s.
Houston's Colton Gordon (2-1, 4.70 ERA) was scheduled to pitch Thursday against Jacob Lopez (1-4, 4.80) to wrap up the four-game series.