The red hot Pittsburgh Steelers are now 8-5 after their victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. The Steelers have won four of their last five games, but they are looking for a playoff spot.

At the moment the Steelers are 8-5, but that's only good enough for the No. 7 seed in the AFC. The Kansas City Chiefs are the No. 5 seed because they defeated the Steelers back in Week 7. That means the only way the Steelers can finish the season ahead of the Chiefs is if they either win the AFC North or have a better record than the Chiefs.

The New York Jets presently hold the No. 6 seed over the Steelers in the AFC because they have a superior conference record. The Jets are 6-4 against AFC teams this season whereas the Steelers are 5-4. The Chiefs are 7-2 against AFC opponents.

The Steelers have a huge game against the Denver Broncos this weekend. It's unlikely Mike Tomlin's squad will catch the Bengals for first place in the division, but a win and a Bengals loss would certainly make things interesting. If that scenario did play out, the Steelers would be one game behind the Bengals in the AFC North.

You could very well make the case that the Steelers have the most explosive offensive in the league right now. Antonio Brown is still one of the best wide receivers in the NFL, and Martavis Bryant is having a great season with six touchdowns. Even Markus Wheaton is contributing in a major way. With Ben Roethlisberger back healthy, the Steelers know the sky is the limit. In 2005, we saw the Steelers win the Super Bowl as a wild card team, so having home field advantage isn't really that critical for the Steelers.

Defense is another story though. The Steelers rank 23rd overall in yards allowed and 31st in passing yards allowed. The Steelers secondary has been criticized all year long by fans. Not having Troy Polamalu back there is clearly having a negative impact on the Steelers secondary. On a positive defensive note, the Steelers are doing a very good job at shutting down the run.

If the season were to end today, the New England Patriots and Bengals would each get a bye week in the first round of the playoffs. The Broncos would face the Jets while the Colts take on the Chiefs in the first round of the playoffs.

AFC Standings

1. New England Patriots: 11-2

2. Cincinnati Bengals: 10-3

3. Denver Broncos: 10-3

4. Indianapolis Colts: 6-7

Wild Card

5. Kansas City Chiefs: 8-5

6. New York Jets: 8-5

Follow Damon Salvadore on Twitter @DamonSalvadore1