AFC player, coach or executive with most at stake down the stretch

As the NFL heads into the final stretch of the season, many players, coaches and executives are under intense scrutiny.

Ahead of Week 14, Yardbarker NFL writers identify those in the AFC with the most at stake on each team.

AFC East

BUFFALO BILLS (10-2) | QB Josh Allen | In Week 13 against the San Francisco 49ers, he became the first quarterback to score a rushing, receiving and passing touchdown in a game. Now he’s the heavy favorite to become the NFL’s MVP, per ESPN Bet. Holding off Eagles running back Saquon Barkley won’t be easy, and with the No. 1 seed in the AFC still up for grabs, he’ll need to be in top form for Buffalo’s final five games.

MIAMI DOLPHINS (5-7) | WR Tyreek Hill | Hill is on pace to fall short of 1,000 yards receiving for the first time since 2019 and also stands to lose $500K if the Dolphins miss the playoffs. According to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, Hill’s contract contains a clause that could pay him up to $500,000 for a playoff appearance, but according to ESPN, the team has just an 11% chance of making the postseason.

NEW YORK JETS (3-9) | QB Aaron Rodgers | The Jets have lost eight of their past nine games with Rodgers as their starting quarterback, not what the team hoped for when it gave Green Bay multiple draft picks to get him in 2023. Of course, it’s not all his fault, as Rodgers was quick to point out after a loss to Seattle on Sunday. But he must play better for a team that has already fired its head coach (Robert Saleh) and GM (Joe Douglas) this season.

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (3-10) | Head coach Jerod Mayo | Replacing future Hall of Famer Bill Belichick isn’t easy, but if first-year New England HC Mayo can get the team three wins in their last four games, he’ll be off to a better start than his predecessor. A year before leading the Patriots to a Super Bowl victory in 2001, Belichick went 5-11 in his first season with New England, a number Mayo would love to beat in 2024. — Bruce Ewing

AFC West

DENVER BRONCOS (8-5) | WR Courtland Sutton | Sutton — who ranks ninth in the league in receiving yards (846 in 13 games) — could earn a sizable payday if he keeps producing fantastic numbers for the rest of the season. He’s under contract through 2025, and Spotrac estimates his market value is a three-year deal worth $19.6M annually.

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (11-1) | QB Patrick Mahomes | Mahomes has the Chiefs in a position to hoist the Lombardi Trophy for the third time in four seasons. If he wins another Super Bowl, he will join Joe Montana, Terry Bradshaw and Tom Brady as the only QBs with four or more Super Bowl rings.

LAS VEGAS RAIDERS (2-10) | Head coach Antonio Pierce | After Vegas’ disastrous Week 13 loss to K.C., Sports Illustrated and “Thursday Night Football” insider Albert Breer said, “There’s a lot of buzz league-wide that Antonio Pierce could be one-and-done as a head coach.” Pierce needs the Raiders to show signs of improvement or he may have to update his résumé soon.

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS (8-4) | Edge-rusher Joey Bosa | Bosa has the team’s second-largest cap hit in 2025 ($36.47M), so he must recapture his Pro Bowl form to avoid becoming a cut candidate. Through his first nine games, he only has three sacks and 15 tackles. — Clark Dalton

AFC North

PITTSBURGH STEELERS (9-3) | Head coach Mike Tomlin | The Steelers are consistently competitive under Tomlin — he has never had a losing season in 18 years as Pittsburgh HC — but he hasn’t won a playoff game since the 2016 season. This team has shown it has the ability to make a run in the AFC, but will Tomlin fall short in the postseason again?

BALTIMORE RAVENS (8-5) | Kicker Justin Tucker | What in the world happened to Tucker? The future Hall of Famer has missed four of his past eight field-goal attempts, and he’s no longer the all-time leader in field-goal percentage. (Kansas City’s Harrison Butker has edged him 89.212% to 89.032%.) If Tucker continues on this path, retirement could be closer than we expected.

CINCINNATI BENGALS (4-8) | Defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo | Anarumo’s defense ranked sixth in the NFL in points allowed just two seasons ago, but the Bengals rank 31st in scoring defense (28.3 PPG) this season and have given up at least 34 points in four of their past five games. QB Joe Burrow is playing well enough to lead the Bengals to the playoffs, so Anarumo will be blamed if they don’t make it there. Per ESPN, Cincinnati’s chances of making the postseason are slim (2 percent).

CLEVELAND BROWNS (3-9) | GM Andrew Berry | Berry and owner Jimmy Haslam were responsible for trading for Deshaun Watson and giving him a five-year, $230M fully guaranteed contract. The youngest GM in the NFL (37) has a big offseason of crucial decisions ahead of him, especially at QB, where Watson has struggled and Jameis Winston hasn’t proved he’s a long-term solution. — Jack Dougherty

AFC South

HOUSTON TEXANS (8-5) | Offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik | A hot name on the coaching circuit last year, Slowik has had a tough season with Houston’s mediocre offense, which ranks 12th in scoring (23.7 PPG) and 17th in yards (335.2 yards per game).

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (6-7) | QB Anthony Richardson | Already benched once, Richardson could use a strong end to the season to secure the starting job in 2025. Since returning to the starting lineup in Week 11, Richardson is 43-of-82 (52.4 percent) for 553 yards (6.7 yards per attempt), six total touchdowns (three passing, three rushing) and three turnovers.

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (2-10) | GM Trent Baalke | The Jaguars are on track to receive the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and could be in the market for a head coach. Having already survived the Urban Meyer debacle in 2021, Baalke is squarely on the hot seat. Will Jacksonville want to give him  another swing at getting it right?

TENNESSEE TITANS (3-9) | QB Will Levis | Tennessee’s second-year quarterback has been a chaos agent this season, making several costly errors that have lost the Titans multiple games. Unless he stabilizes over the next five weeks, Tennessee might seek a replacement in 2025 for a QB who is 2-7 as a starter this season with 12 TD passes and nine interceptions. — Eric Smithling