AFC grades: Patriots, Texans get a wake-up call

• The New England Patriots struggled against the Jacksonville Jaguars before winning in Week 16
• Once a lock for the AFC's top seed, the Houston Texans now need a final-week win
• And for drama, there's always the New York Jets, who have become the league's poster child for dysfunction

One week remains in the regular season, and the AFC playoff spots have been determined, but there's still could be some jockeying for seeds -- and some cause for concern: The Texans might have peaked too soon, and the Patriots might have peeked at the schedule (and saw the Jaguars). Both looked like they've become bored and can't wait for the postseason. Here are the Week 16 grades:

AFC EAST

New England (11-4): C

If Tom Brady thinks his team didn't play well enough, well, then neither do we. The Patriots trailed Jacksonville 13-3 and even after rallying to tie the game at halftime, the Patriots couldn't pull away from one of the worst teams in the league. That won't cut it in the playoffs, and Brady knows it.

Miami (7-8): B

Reggie Bush earned his team's passing grade with three touchdowns in Miami's 24-10 win against Buffalo. Bonus points to Miami for being the team smart enough to finally sign free-agent kicker Nate Kaeding, who made a 45-yard field goal Sunday. (You wonder why the Packers didn't sign him.)

New York Jets (6-9): F

Has any team already eliminated from the playoffs caused as much drama as the Jets? Will Tim Tebow be active? Did he refuse to play? Will Mark Sanchez be traded? Meanwhile, the quarterback who DID play Sunday, Greg McElroy threw for 185 yards, no touchdowns and an interception in the Jets' 27-17 home loss to San Diego. Only a week until the housecleaning starts.

Buffalo (5-10): D

C.J. Spiller had another 100-yard rushing day (138 yards) but it wasn't nearly enough in an unbalanced Buffalo offense. The Bills have lost three games in a row heading into a meaningless season finale against the Jets. The only suspense in Buffalo on Sunday? What Tebow will say at his locker when the season is over.

AFC NORTH

Baltimore (10-5): B

Suddenly, the Ravens look like a team that deserves to play in the postseason. Quarterback Joe Flacco had 309 passing yards and two touchdowns, and the Ravens remembered they have a running game. Bernard Pierce (123 yards) and Ray Rice (107) hurt the Giants, and Rice's 24 carries were the most since he had 25 on Nov. 4. Maybe new offensive coordinator Jim Caldwell found last year's playbook on a dusty shelf.

Cincinnati (9-6): A

Bengals clinched their second consecutive playoff berth by beating Pittsburgh 13-10 at Heinz Field, sucking much of the drama out of the season finale against Baltimore. But for the Bengals, who were 3-5 on Nov. 4, that doesn't matter at all.

Pittsburgh (7-8): D

With their fifth loss in six weeks, it's little surprise the Steelers aren't heading to the playoffs. Pittsburgh's season was derailed by injuries, yet the Steelers, after a 13-10 loss to Cincinnati, the Steelers have plenty of questions to answer about their aging defense if they want to keep up with the young Bengals in 2013. One more question: Can QB Ben Roethlisberger and offensive coordinator Todd Haley get along? Can they at least get on the same page?

Cleveland (5-10): D

After a 34-12 loss to Denver – the Browns' third consecutive loss -- Cleveland's three-game winning streak seems about as long as the Bernie Kosar era. The Broncos knocked Brandon Weeden from the game with a shoulder injury, and though backup Colt McCoy led a fourth-quarter touchdown drive, there was little progress from the rest of the Browns' offense. Things are getting bad: McCoy said he was just "trying not to get a concussion," and Josh Cribbs fired profane tweets to critical fans after the game.

AFC SOUTH

Houston (12-3): C

Did the Texans peak too soon? After a 23-6 home loss to Minnesota, they find themselves needing to win the finale at Indianapolis to hold onto the conference's No. 1 seed. Houston's offense managed only one third-down conversion against the Vikings, and no touchdowns.

Indianapolis (10-5): A

Their 20-13 win at Kansas City wasn't pretty, but the Colts' deserve an A for clinching a playoff spot after turning over most of their roster, replacing their franchise quarterback with a rookie and playing through an emotional situation as their head coach fought cancer. The Colts are locked into the No. 5 seed, but they clearly have plenty left to play for in the finale against Houston.

Tennessee (5-10): F

Only a garbage-time Jake-Locker-to-Kenny-Britt touchdown saved the Titans from being shut out in Green Bay. Titans owner Bud Adams said he turned off the TV before the 55-7 game ended, which can't be a positive sign for coach Mike Munchak. Tennessee has invested in Locker, but watching him play opposite Aaron Rodgers only reinforced just how far the Titans are away from having an elite quarterback.

Jacksonville (2-13): C

The biggest news out of Jacksonville this week involved rumors that the Jaguars would land Tim Tebow in 2013. Current Jags quarterback Chad Henne played against the Patriots like he didn't want that to happen (348 passing yards), though he did throw three interceptions as Jacksonville fell to 1-7 at home this season. No one ownership would like to give fans something – or someone – to be excited about.

AFC WEST

Denver (12-3): A

Another week, another double-digit win for the Broncos, this time 34-12 against the Cleveland Browns. Denver's defense sacked Cleveland's quarterbacks six times Sunday – including two by Elvis Dumervil, and 1.5 each from Von Miller and Wesley Woodyard – providing a reminder that the Broncos are winning for far more reasons than just Peyton Manning.

San Diego (6-9): C

San Diego gets a passing grade this week – barely – because for once, the Chargers were the more functional franchise in their matchup. That's what happens in a game against the New York Jets. Sunday's game against Oakland likely marks the end of the Norv Turner era.

Oakland (4-11): D

Raiders fans finally got a glimpse of Terrell Pryor in Oakland's 17-6 loss to Carolina. They'll likely see more of Pryor – and lots of Matt Leinart -- next week against San Diego, now that Carson Palmer is officially out with a rib injury. Leinart, by the way, averaged 3.6 yards per pass and threw for only 115 yards in relief of Palmer.

Kansas City (2-13): D

There is a major issue when a team can rack up more than 500 offensive yards and only score one touchdown. Such is the story of the 2012 Chiefs. Jamaal Charles had 226 rushing yards and Peyton Hillis had 101 yards, and yet the Chiefs called a quarterback sneak on fourth-and-inches when they desperately needed to sustain a fourth-quarter drive. The Belcher tragedy aside, this team has serious issues.