There wasn't supposed to be much late-season suspense in regard to this year's AFC playoff picture. Except for deciding the sixth seed in the postseason race -- a spot the San Diego Chargers ultimately secured -- we had a fairly good idea of who would be involved in the run to Super Bowl XLVIII. The New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts ran away with their respective divisions. The Denver Broncos and Cincinnati Bengals clinched their own titles two weeks ago. The Kansas City Chiefs, the fifth seed, also had been assured of their postseason spot since a win over Oakland on Dec. 15.

It all seemed like a potentially anticlimactic conclusion until the games actually kicked off Sunday. Then Baltimore and Miami blew their shots at earning a wild-card spot. Pittsburgh watched the Chiefs, who rested most of their starters, nearly beat the Chargers before San Diego won in overtime. The Bengals also made a strong bid for a first-round bye with a 34-17 win over Baltimore, then watched as New England beat Buffalo to keep its hold on that prime advantage.

So what did all this action tell us? Basically that this year's AFC playoff race will be as wide open as ever. Here are 10 questions that need to be asked before all the fun begins:

1. Can Denver's defense survive without Von Miller? Yes. It's called the Peyton Manning effect. The future Hall of Fame quarterback has helped this team overcome plenty of setbacks already -- including the early-season losses of left tackle Ryan Clady and center Dan Koppen -- and he'll make up for a defense that has been less than impressive lately. The best-kept secret in the league thus far is that the Broncos D has been middling at best. It survived when Miller was serving a six-game suspension earlier this season because Manning had the Broncos scoring at a record-setting clip. But Denver also had some moments when it was apparent that its defense had major flaws. The Broncos gave up 48 points in an early-season win over Dallas, and four opponents scored at least 27 against them in the past six weeks. With Miller lost for the season with a torn ACL, it's difficult to see how the Broncos can improve on that side of the ball at this stage. The key is that Manning continues playing out of his mind while giving Denver the huge leads it has held for most of the season.

2. Does Tom Brady have enough help around him to make another Super Bowl run? No. Brady once again proved this season that he's the best quarterback of his generation. Tight end Rob Gronkowski was the only top receiver who returned from last season -- and injuries limited him to just seven games. Still, Brady led the Patriots to a 12-4 record. It was a remarkable run of success, but it's one that will not continue through the postseason. We've already seen how different the Patriots' offense is without Gronkowski, who missed the first six weeks of the season with a back injury and is now out for the season with a torn ACL. New England averaged 32 points per game with him in the lineup and just over 24 without him. But the Patriots have simply taken too many hits to think Brady can do this all by himself going forward. The season-ending injuries to defensive tackle Vince Wilfork, linebacker Jerod Mayo and right tackle Sebastian Vollmer will haunt this team. A first-round bye can only help so much.

The Bengals need Andy Dalton to prove Sunday's four interceptions were a hiccup and not a trend. Andy Lyons/Getty Images

3. Is Andy Dalton good enough to lead the Bengals to a deep playoff run? No quarterback in this year's AFC playoffs has more to prove than Dalton, and it says here that he'll be up to the task. He's enjoyed his best season as a pro -- setting career-highs in completions, attempts, yards, touchdowns and passer rating -- and he's playing with the best supporting cast of his three-year career. The Bengals have a big-play running back in rookie Giovani Bernard. They have one of the game's best wide receivers in A.J. Green and a defense that is better than anybody else's in this year's AFC playoff race. All Dalton has to do is keep playing as he did before throwing four interceptions in Cincinnati's 34-17 season-ending win over Baltimore. Before that clunker of a performance, Dalton had thrown 10 touchdown passes and only one interception in his four previous games. Look, he'll never be confused with Andrew Luck. But he does understand his strengths and helped this team reach the playoffs in his first two seasons. This is the year when the Bengals go far beyond the first round.

4. Which Colts team will show up for the postseason? No team has been more difficult to assess than the Colts. They have impressive wins over Seattle, San Francisco and Denver. They've looked feeble in losses to St. Louis, Arizona and Cincinnati. They also don't have many playmakers on offense, especially with Pro Bowl wide receiver Reggie Wayne lost for the season with a torn ACL. What's even more difficult to like about the Colts is their first-round playoff opponent. The Colts' 23-7 win over Kansas City two weeks ago was the kind of game that probably made casual observers think the Chiefs couldn't win a rematch in Indianapolis. In fact, this is exactly the kind of game that should scare Colts fans. The Chiefs will be more prepared and more aware of what Indianapolis did to dismantle them in Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs also realize their franchise history -- they haven't won a playoff game in 20 years -- gives them ample motivation to win this contest. There's no question the Colts should be favored at home because of their raucous home crowd and Luck's continued maturation. Just don't be surprised if they disappoint in ways they already have earlier this year.