Despite their Week 4 loss, the Buffalo Bills are still in excellent position to make the postseason in 2019. This week’s opponent, the Tennessee Titans, are right in the thick of the playoff hunt as well, so a win this week would be a double bonus for the Bills’ chances of a playoff run.
Let’s look at all the games to determine who to root for in order of importance:
Buffalo Bills (3-1) over Tennessee Titans (2-2)
Sunday, 1:00 PM Eastern
A head-to-head tiebreaker could loom very large at the end of the year if both teams hover around the 10-6 or 9-7 mark. This is the most important game yet in Buffalo’s young season.
Washington over New England Patriots (4-0)
Sunday, 1 :00 PM Eastern
The winless Washington team could do the Bills a huge favor and get them back into a tie for first place in the division. We’re not holding our breath.
Atlanta Falcons over Houston Texans (2-2)
Sunday, 1:00 PM Eastern
Another NFC team could help out Buffalo this week if the Falcons can rebound and knock off the vulnerable Texans. Man, there are a lot of 2-2 teams in the AFC right now.
San Francisco 49ers over Cleveland Browns (2-2)
Monday, 8:15 PM Eastern
Another NFC team could help out Buffalo this week if the 49ers can stay undefeated and knock off the Browns. Man, there are a lot of 2-2 teams in the AFC right now.
Chicago Bears over Oakland Raiders (2-2)
Sunday, 1:00 PM Eastern
Another NFC team could help out Buffalo this week if the Bears can knock off the vulnerable Raiders. Man, there are a lot of 2-2 teams in the AFC right now. (This one has the added benefit of being the Khalil Mack revenge game.)
Carolina Panthers over Jacksonville Jaguars (2-2)
Sunday, 1:00 PM Eastern
Another NFC team could help out Buffalo this week if the Panthers can knock off the Jacksonville Jaguars. Man, there are a lot of 2-2 teams in the AFC right now.
Denver Broncos (0-4) over Los Angeles Chargers (2-2)
Sunday, 4:05 PM Eastern
The winless Broncos need to put all the pieces together at some point. It would be nice if it was this week to keep two AFC West teams below .500. Man, there are a lot of 2-2 teams in the AFC right now.
Kansas City Chiefs (4-0) over Indianapolis Colts (2-2)
Sunday, 8:20 PM Eastern
We just assume the Chiefs will run away with the AFC West at this point, right? Let them beat up on a potential Wild Card contender. Man, there are a lot of 2-2 teams in the AFC right now.
Pittsburgh Steelers (1-3) over Baltimore Ravens (2-2)
Sunday, 1:00 PM Eastern
Every team in the AFC North could have a losing record by the end of Monday Night Football. That, of course, would help the Bills’ Wild Card chances. Did I mention that there are a lot of 2-2 teams in the AFC right now?
Philadelphia Eagles over New York Jets (0-3)
Sunday, 1:00 PM Eastern
Another NFC team could help out Buffalo this week if the Eagles can knock off the Jets coming off their very early bye week.
Arizona Cardinals over Cincinnati Bengals (0-4)
Sunday, 1:00 PM Eastern
I’m not quite ready to write off their whole season (though the folks at Cincy Jungle seem to be), so I still want this NFC team to beat the AFC team. If you’re playing down-the-line tiebreakers, Buffalo beat Cincinnati so a Bengals win could help strength of victory and strength of schedule.
New York Giants over Minnesota Vikings
Sunday, 1:00 PM Eastern
This is a down-the-line tiebreaker scenario helping Buffalo’s strength of victory and strength of schedule.
Dallas Cowboys over Green Bay Packers
Sunday, 4:25 PM Eastern
Another distant tiebreaker, the Bills would get a bump in strength of schedule.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs New Orleans Saints
Los Angeles Rams vs Seattle Seahawks
These two NFC intra-division match-ups won’t have any bearing directly on Buffalo, but could matter in strength of victory tiebreakers for a Bills’ opponent down the line.
If all goes right for the Bills this week, they would be tied for first in the AFC East and two games clear of any team in the Wild Card race. That’s a big deal this early in the year.
If things don’t go Buffalo’s way, they could completely fall out of playoff position heading into their bye in a stew of 3-2 teams.