The Buffalo Bills sit at 6-2 or better for the first time since 1993, and that makes these playoff rooting interests so much more fun to write and research. Still, there will be a crowd that says Buffalo should just take care of their own games. That’s true, but I don’t expect the Bills to go 14-2, so looking around the league is still something we probably want to consider.
Here are the match-ups for this week and who the Bills and their fans should be rooting for. Before that are the AFC playoff standings as they are currently constituted.
Full AFC Standings
1. New England Patriots (8-1)
2. Buffalo Bills (6-2, 4-1 AFC)
3. Baltimore Ravens (6-2, 4-2 AFC)
4. Houston Texans (6-3, head-to-head win over KC)
5. Kansas City Chiefs (6-3, head-to-head loss to HOU)
6. Indianapolis Colts (5-3)
7. Pittsburgh Steelers (4-4, 4-2 AFC)
8. Oakland Raiders (4-4, 2-2 AFC)
9. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-5, head-to-head win over TEN, 4-3 AFC)
10. Tennessee Titans (4-5, head-to-head loss to JAX, head-to-head win over LAC)
11. Los Angeles Chargers (4-5, head-to-head loss to TEN, 2-4 AFC)
12. Denver Broncos (3-6)
13. Cleveland Browns (2-6)
14. Miami Dolphins (1-7, head-to-head win over NYJ)
15. New York Jets (1-7, head-to-head loss to MIA)
16. Cincinnati Bengals (0-8)
Full AFC Playoff Standings
1. New England Patriots (8-1)
2. Baltimore Ravens (6-2)
3. Houston Texans (6-3, head-to-head win over KC)
4. Kansas City Chiefs (6-3, head-to-head loss to HOU)
5. Buffalo Bills (6-2)
6. Indianapolis Colts (5-3)
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7. Pittsburgh Steelers (4-4, 4-2 AFC)
8. Oakland Raiders (4-4, 2-2 AFC)
9. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-5, head-to-head win over TEN, 4-3 AFC)
10. Tennessee Titans (4-5, head-to-head loss to JAX, head-to-head win over LAC)
11. Los Angeles Chargers (4-5, head-to-head loss to TEN, 2-4 AFC)
Buffalo Bills (6-2) over Cleveland Browns (2-6)
Sunday, November 10, 1:00 PM Eastern
The Bills could simultaneously boost their playoff chances and all-but-eliminate Cleveland from the conversation in one fell swoop. A 7-2 Bills team has a higher than 80% chance of making the postseason. It matters for AFC record and record vs. common opponents, so it’s a much bigger game in the standings than their loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Good teams beat bad teams, and this could be a statement for Buffalo saying “we are a good team.”
Miami Dolphins (1-7) over Indianapolis Colts (5-3)
Sunday, November 10, 4:05 PM Eastern
Let’s go, Dolphins! Indianapolis is currently in sixth place in the AFC but only a half-game back in the AFC South. A loss here would give the Bills some breathing room between the 5 seed and the 6 seed. Plus it’s a no-brainer because Miami isn’t going to pull off a nine-game winning streak to threaten the Bills’ position in the AFC.
Los Angeles Rams over Pittsburgh Steelers (4-4)
Sunday, November 10, 4:25 PM Eastern
With so many AFC byes this week, this match-up is one Bills fans might actually be able to watch, along with Indy vs Miami. A loss to the Rams would put Pittsburgh in a big Wild Card hole with seven games left. With a Bills win, Buffalo would have a three-game lead on them with a head-to-head game coming down the stretch.
Los Angeles Chargers (4-5) over Oakland Raiders (4-4)
Thursday, November 7, 8:20 PM Eastern
I can definitely see both sides to this, but with Oakland a half-game better than L.A., this is a math problem right now. Getting both these teams to five losses will certainly help widen Buffalo’s margin for error over the final two months.
Cincinnati Bengals (0-8) over Baltimore Ravens (6-2)
Sunday, November 10, 1:00 PM Eastern
There’s no reason to root FOR the Ravens, so we’re rooting against them. If Buffalo somehow wins the division, this result would help the Bills in home-field advantage.
Tennessee Titans (4-5) over Kansas City Chiefs (6-3)
Sunday, November 10, 1:00 PM Eastern
With a head-to-head tiebreaker over Tennessee plus the Titans’ very bad AFC conference record, they don’t really present a threat to the Bills in any tiebreaker scenarios at 11-5 or 10-6. If the Chiefs continue to struggle, they might be in contention for a Wild Card instead of the AFC West crown. It’s a lot on the priority list, but we’re going with Tennessee here (and so is the NY Times Playoff Simulator).
New York Jets (1-7) over New York Giants
Sunday, November 10, 1:00 PM Eastern
Buffalo has one win over each team, but faces the Jets in Week 17. This will boost Buffalo’s strength-of-victory and strength-of-schedule tiebreakers.,
Dallas Cowboys over Minnesota Vikings
Sunday, November 10, 8:25 PM Eastern
The Bills play the Cowboys later in the year, so it’s a boost to strength-of-schedule tiebreaker.
Detroit Lions vs. Chicago Bears
Atlanta Falcons vs. New Orleans Saints
Arizona Cardinals vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Carolina Panthers vs. Green Bay Packers
Seattle Seahawks vs. San Francisco 49ers
None of these games directly affect the Bills.
Bye week: New England Patriots, Houston Texans, Philadelphia Eagles, Denver Broncos, Jacksonville Jaguars, Washington
If everything breaks Buffalo’s way this week, they will have a commanding multiple-game lead in the AFC Wild Card spot and be just one game out of first place in the division and conference.
Full HYPOTHETICAL AFC Standings
1. New England Patriots (8-1)
2. Buffalo Bills (7-2)
3. Houston Texans (6-3, 5-1 AFC)
4. Baltimore Ravens (6-3, 4-3 AFC)
5. Kansas City Chiefs (6-4)
6. Indianapolis Colts (5-4)
7. Tennessee Titans (5-5, head-to-head win over LAC)
8. Los Angeles Chargers (5-5, head-to-head loss to TEN)
9. Pittsburgh Steelers (4-5, 4-2 AFC)
10. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-5, 4-3 AFC)
11. Oakland Raiders (4-5, 2-3 AFC)
12. Denver Broncos (3-6)
13. Cleveland Browns (2-7, 2-3 AFC)
14. Miami Dolphins (2-7, head-to-head win over NYJ, 1-5 AFC)
15. New York Jets (2-7, head-to-head loss to MIA)
16. Cincinnati Bengals (1-8)
Full HYPOTHETICAL AFC Playoff Standings
1. New England Patriots (8-1)
2. Houston Texans (6-3, 5-1 AFC)
3. Baltimore Ravens (6-3, 4-3 AFC)
4. Kansas City Chiefs (6-4)
5. Buffalo Bills (7-2)
6. Indianapolis Colts (5-4)
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7. Tennessee Titans (5-5, head-to-head win over LAC)
8. Los Angeles Chargers (5-5, head-to-head loss to TEN)
9. Pittsburgh Steelers (4-5, 4-2 AFC)
10. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-5, 4-3 AFC)
11. Oakland Raiders (4-5, 2-3 AFC)
If everything breaks Buffalo’s way this week, the Bills would have a two-game lead over the Indianapolis Colts in sixth place and a 2.5-game lead over the two teams in seventh place. A 2.5-game lead in the playoff race with seven games left would be pretty awesome. And they have a head-to-head tiebreaker over one of those teams, to boot.