The Ravens fail against the Browns, the Texans take advantage in Week 8

Week 8 is here and it gives NFL fans reason to think a little bit about the playoffs. There's still just over half of the regular season left, but with teams having played seven or eight games at this point, the AFC playoff picture is starting to take shape.

There were several extremely close results early in NFL games, one of them between two AFC North rivals. The Baltimore Ravens entered Cleveland on a five-game winning streak and looked as unbeatable as any team in the NFL. Unfortunately, without Deshaun Watson, the Cleveland Browns found a way to record their second win of the season, handing Baltimore a crushing defeat.

Another close game occurred between two AFC South rivals as the Houston Texans attempted to take control of the division with a home win against the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts held on all day despite a lazy passing performance from Anthony Richardson, but CJ Stroud and Houston's defense did just enough to pull out a big win.

The Ravens entered the day in first place in the AFC North and were expecting an easy win against the 1-6 Browns. Their loss opens the door for the Pittsburgh Steelers to take control of the division. Pittsburgh will play the lowly New York Giants on Monday Night Football.

The Colts' loss to the Texans proved damaging as they fell to 4-4 on the season. As of this writing, they still find themselves in a playoff spot, but the Los Angeles Chargers are 3-3 with two games in hand. The Colts earned the tiebreaker with the additional win, but with the Chargers facing the 2-5 New Orleans Saints, the No. 7 seed can change awfully quickly.

The Ravens' loss now puts them in a Wild Card spot. That, too, could change based on the outcome of Monday's Steelers game, but if the Ravens can't get a win against an opponent that has only one win, that could easily become a problem again in December or January become.

The surprising team in the playoff positioning is currently the Denver Broncos, who would be in fifth place in the AFC with a win against the inferior Carolina Panthers. The division is probably out of reach as the Chiefs are still undefeated, but they have a playoff spot in hand.

It's only Week 8, so teams like the Chargers and Cincinnati Bengals (3-5) are still very much alive, but time is of the essence.