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AFC Playoff Picture: Buffalo Bills put stranglehold on AFC East, move up in conference

A nice loss for the Titans helps Buffalo.

The Buffalo Bills moved to 6-2 on the season with their win over the New England Patriots Sunday. They also got some help around the league and are not only sitting pretty in the AFC East race, they moved up in the conference standings. But how are they setting up in the AFC playoff picture? Let’s dive in.

Here are the overall standings:

1. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-0)
2. Kansas City Chiefs (7-1)
3. Buffalo Bills (6-2)
4. Tennessee Titans (5-2, 2-0 AFCS, 4-2 AFC)
5. Baltimore Ravens (5-2, 3-2 AFC)
6. Indianapolis Colts (5-2, 0-1 AFCS)
7. Cleveland Browns (5-3)
8t. Miami Dolphins (4-3, 2-2 AFC)
8t. Las Vegas Raiders (4-3, 2-2 AFC)
10. Denver Broncos (3-4)
11. Cincinnati Bengals (2-5-1)
12 Los Angeles Chargers (2-5, 2-2 AFC)
13. New England Patriots (2-5, 2-3 AFC)
14. Houston Texans (1-6, win over JAX)
15. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-6, loss to HOU)
16. New York Jets (0-8)

Here is the playoff picture:

1. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-0)
2. Kansas City Chiefs (7-1)
3. Buffalo Bills (6-2)
4. Tennessee Titans (5-2, 2-0 AFCS, 4-2 AFC)
5. Baltimore Ravens (5-2, 3-2 AFC)
6. Indianapolis Colts (5-2, 0-1 AFCS)
7. Cleveland Browns (5-3)
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8t. Miami Dolphins (4-3, 2-2 AFC)
8t. Las Vegas Raiders (4-3, 2-2 AFC)

If the playoffs started today, these would be the matchups:

Pittsburgh Steelers bye
Cleveland Browns at Kansas City Chiefs
Indianapolis Colts at Buffalo Bills
Baltimore Ravens at Tennessee Titans


The Bills are 6-2 and with the Miami Dolphins getting to 4-3, Buffalo holds a virtual two-game lead in the division thanks to their win over Miami earlier this season. The Bills are 4-0 in the AFC East and Miami has two losses, meaning they can only get to 4-2 at best. If the Bills beat either the Dolphins or Patriots in the final two weeks, they’ll lock up the divisional tiebreakers and that’s if they can’t secure the division sooner than that. At this point, the Bills are the overwhelming favorite in the AFC East.

Buffalo hosts the Seattle Seahawks in Week 9 while the Tennessee Titans host the Chicago Bears and the Chiefs host the Carolina Panthers. The Baltimore Ravens play at the Indianapolis Colts.