Last Wednesday, the Buffalo Bills were 13th in the AFC playoff race and three games back of the wild card leaders. After a divisional win on Thursday night and some key matchups going their way on Sunday, the Bills have moved a game closer to a wild card berth, with the leader on the schedule for this week.
The Indianapolis Colts and the Pittsburgh Steelers both lost on Sunday to division leaders New England and Baltimore, bringing both teams down to 6-4. They are the only two AFC teams above .500 that aren't leading their division. Buffalo travels to Indianapolis this week in a game that could make or break Buffalo's season, while Pittsburgh's Ben Roethlisberger could miss two more weeks, according to an ESPN report.
The Cincinnati Bengals mauled Kansas City to even their record at 5-5, the only team in the wild card race currently at that record. The Bengals have an easy schedule over the next month, as they face no team that currently possesses a winning record until they end the season at Pittsburgh and home against Baltimore.
At 4-6, the Bills are in a scrum with four other teams: they own a tiebreaker over the Miami Dolphins, but sit behind the San Diego Chargers, Tennessee Titans and New York Jets, having lost to the latter two of those teams. Buffalo's 3-5 AFC record isn't doing them any favors, either, but their upcoming schedule is markedly easier than the other four 4-6 clubs'.
If Buffalo can secure a victory in Indianapolis this week, they will have one strong team remaining on their schedule with a winning record (the Seattle Seahawks) and be just one game out of the wild card spot.
Here is the AFC playoff picture as of this morning:
- Houston Texans (9-1)
- Baltimore Ravens (8-2)
- New England Patriots (7-3)
- Denver Broncos (7-3)
- Indianapolis Colts (6-4)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (6-4)
- Cincinnati Bengals (5-5)
- San Diego Chargers (4-6)
- Tennessee Titans (4-6)
- New York Jets (4-6)
- Buffalo Bills (4-6)
- Miami Dolphins (4-6)