Six spots, 13 hopefuls, one huge ball of playoff confusion.

That's where the AFC stands 15 weeks into the NFL season, in a veritable free-for-all that puts no one in the postseason and leaves almost no one out.

The tangle of teams vying for those six AFC playoff berths got tighter this week when the Oakland Raiders and San Diego Chargers lost. That gave life to the Denver Broncos, thought to be down and out, and the floating raft of five 7-7 teams.

Incredibly, only one game separates the conference's top eight teams. In the past four weeks, three teams have had their fingers on the No. 1 seed and accompanying home-field advantage.

This is in contrast to the NFC race, where four teams have earned playoff spots and three have claimed division titles.

For want of a dominant team, all the AFC can claim is chaos.

Consider this:

If the Kansas City Chiefs had beaten Denver on Sunday, they would have tied for second place in the AFC West and could have won the division title by sweeping the final two games of the regular season. Instead, a 31-24 loss sentenced the Chiefs to last place in the West and the fringe of playoff contention at 7-7.

Then there is this:

The Broncos were barely alive after a three-game losing streak dragged them down to 7-6 a week ago, two games behind Oakland with three to play. But Sunday's combination of results sends the Broncos, now 8-6, to Oakland (9-5) in Week 16 with the chance to forge a first-place tie. With another round of favorable results in Week 17, the Broncos could even win the division.

The Raiders dropped the No. 1 seed twice in the past three weeks, turning it over to the Miami Dolphins this week with a 23-17 loss in Florida.

Oakland still has the best conference record (7-3) in the AFC, but now loses a tiebreaker with Miami because of Sunday's loss. And after being eliminated last year in a New England snowstorm, the Raiders would have preferred to avoid another potential cross-country flight to Miami in the postseason.

Perhaps more alarming for the Raiders was the way they lost. The Dolphins leaned heavily on five- and six-defensive back packages to defuse the league's top passing game, similar to the strategy the St. Louis Rams used in Week 6 to inflict Oakland's first loss.

Quarterback Rich Gannon, who set an NFL record with 10 300-yard passing games this season, threw for only 204, and wide-outs Jerry Rice and Tim Brown combined for a modest six catches worth 60 yards.

Interestingly, first-year Raiders coach Bill Callahan elected to keep throwing into that Miami strength. He called only 12 running plays for the game and only two in the second half when the Raiders were trying to come back from a 17-6 deficit.

If the Raiders are one dimensional, the Dolphins (9-5) clearly are not. Quarterback Jay Fiedler is 7-1 this season and 29-11 in his career as a starter in Miami. Ricky Williams punched out his fifth consecutive 100-yard rushing game and ninth of the season to give the Dolphins nearly 37 minutes in possession time, complementing the defensive effort.

Good enough to claim the No. 1 seed? Maybe. But the Dolphins could miss the playoffs altogether if they lose their last two games, both on the road at Minnesota and New England.

At least the Dolphins control their own destiny. The Chargers' fifth loss in seven games dropped them out of the top six. They'll need to beat Kansas City and Seattle in the last two weeks and have help to get back in.

Far removed from a league-best 6-1 start, the Chargers are stumbling at the wrong time. Their defense was flagged for four pass interference calls on Sunday and their offense produced just one touchdown for the second straight week.

That would seem to rule out San Diego from the postseason picture. But this year, who knows?

AFC Playoff Ups and Downs

Denver

After a three-game losing streak, the Broncos were barely alive. But with help they have a chance to take the division with two wins.

Miami

Two wins could give the Dolphins the No. 1 seed. But they could still miss the playoffs altogether.

Oakland

The Raiders have dropped the No. 1 seed twice in the last three weeks.

Kansas City

With a win Sunday against Denver, the Chiefs would have had a shot at the West title. Now they are in the division basement.

San Diego

The Chargers started 6-1 but have lost six of their last seven. But they are still alive.

A crowded field

With two weeks remaining in the regular season, 13 of the 16 teams in the AFC are still in the playoff hunt. How the field looks:

Division leaders

Team...W-L...Div. ...Conf. ...Remaining games

Miami...9-5...2-3...7-4...at Minn., at New England

Tenn. (tie)...9-5...4-0...7-3...at Jacksonville, at Houston

Ind. (tie)...9-5...3-2...7-4...vs. N.Y. Giants, vs. Jacksonville

Oakland...9-5...2-2 7-3...vs. Denver, vs. Kansas City

Pittsburgh...8-5-1...5-0...7-4...at Tampa Bay, vs. Ravens

Wild-card race

New England...8-6...3-1...5-5...vs. N.Y. Jets, vs. Miami

Denver...8-6...3-2...5-6...at Oakland, vs. Arizona

San Diego...8-6...3-2...6-5...at Kansas City, vs. Seattle

Still alive

Ravens...7-7...3-1...7-3...vs. Cleveland, at Pittsburgh

Cleveland...7-7...2-3...6-5...at Ravens, vs. Atlanta

Buffalo...7-7...2-4...4-7...at Green Bay, vs. Cincinnati

N.Y. Jets...7-7...3-2...5-6...at New England, vs. Green Bay

Kansas City...7-7...1-3...5-5...vs. San Diego, at Oakland