With the Buffalo Bills eliminated from the playoffs, they are guaranteed to pick within the top 20 picks in the 2012 NFL Draft next April. With every loss - and they've had a lot of them lately - they could move further up the board. Let's take a look where they stand now.
Here's a reminder how the NFL Draft order is determined through tiebreakers:
- Step 1 - Lowest overall record
- Step 2 - Lowest strength of schedule
- Step 3 - Lowest divisional or conference record, if applicable
- Step 4 - Coin flip
If the draft were held today, here's where Buffalo would pick. The "opponent wins" tie-breaker includes games the teams have yet to play:
1. Indianapolis Colts (0-14)
2. Minnesota Vikings (2-11, 114 opponent wins)
3. St. Louis Rams (2-11, 121 opponent wins)
4. Washington Redskins (4-9, 95 opponent wins)
5/6. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-9, 105 opponent wins)
5/6. Carolina Panthers (4-9, 105 opponent wins)
7. Miami Dolphins (4-9, 109 opponent wins)
8. Cleveland Browns (4-9, 110 opponent wins)
9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-9, 112 opponent wins)
10. Philadelphia Eagles (5-8, 102 opponent wins)
11. Buffalo Bills (5-8, 107 opponent wins)
12. Kansas City Chiefs (5-8, 109 opponent wins)
13. Arizona Cardinals (6-7, 96 opponent wins)
14. Seattle Seahawks (6-7, 105 opponent wins)
15. San Diego Chargers (6-7, 111 opponent wins)
With a win this week, Buffalo would be picking no lower than No. 15. With a loss, Buffalo could move all the way up to fourth, but Washington's large lead in opponent wins mean the Bills will likely only be able to reach fifth overall this week in our running standings.