The Buffalo Bills are going to need the AFC West to stumble coming down the stretch. Sunday presented a perfect opportunity with NFC South teams ready to knock down the Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs. But late plays in both games went the way of the AFC West, and the Bills lost ground in the playoff race even if they moved up from 12 to 11 in the current standings.
The only team Buffalo passed was the San Diego Chargers, who lost to the Dolphins. The moved the Bills into 11th place in the conference, but a Cincinnati Bengals win on Monday Night Football would put Buffalo right back into 12th place where they began the week.
Standings
1. New England Patriots (7-2)
2. Kansas City Chiefs (7-2, head-to-head win over OAK)
3. Houston Texans (6-3)
4. Baltimore Ravens (5-4)
5. Oakland Raiders (7-2, head-to-head loss to KC)
6. Denver Broncos (7-3)
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7. Miami Dolphins (5-4)
8. Tennessee Titans (5-5)
9. Pittsburgh Steelers (4-5, 3-3 AFC record)
10. Indianapolis Colts (4-5, 2-4 AFC record)
11. Buffalo Bills (4-5, 1-4 AFC record)
12. Cincinnati Bengals (3-4-1)
13. San Diego Chargers (4-6, lost to IND, beat TEN)
14. New York Jets (3-7)
15. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-7)
16. Cleveland Browns (0-10)
What it means
The Bills are two games out of a playoff spot, but with their lousy record in the AFC, it’s more like a 2.5 game disadvantage. If the Broncos or Raiders play .500 football the rest of the way, it will be difficult for Buffalo to overtake them. There is a very real chance that even if the Bills run the table and get to 11-5, they would not make the playoffs.