The Buffalo Bills second loss in a row, this time to the New York Jets at home, may be a blessing in disguise. The loss gives the team another slight jump up the 2019 NFL Draft board, and moves the team in the position to claim the 6th pick of said draft. Last week, the team was previously ‘in possession’ of the 8th pick.
Here’s where the top seven spots in the draft currently stand, along with the accompanying record for each team:
- San Francisco 49ers: 3-10
- Arizona Cardinals: 3-10
- Oakland Raiders: 3-10
- Atlanta Falcons 4-9
- New York Jets: 4-9
- Buffalo Bills: 4-9
- Jacksonville Jaguars: 4-9
Thanks to the 49ers stealing a win against the Denver Broncos and the Raiders knocking out Ben Roethlisberger and upsetting the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Bills sit only one game back from claiming the first pick of the draft. Due to tiebreakers, Buffalo is behind the Jets and the Falcons (each team has a weaker strength of schedule than Buffalo does) and ahead of the Jaguars.
With this most recent loss, and with players dropping like flies due to injury, Buffalo’s upcoming schedule looks a bit more daunting than it did last week. If the team were to lose to the Detroit Lions next week, they would then take on an angry New England Patriots team, and then a surging Miami Dolphins squad to end the regular season. Meanwhile, the Falcons will be playing the Cardinals next week, ensuring a win for either team (excepting a tie, of course), and the Raiders have a winnable game against the mediocre Cincinnati Bengals. A rise into the top five picks is not out of the realm of possibility for the Bills.