The Buffalo Bills’ chances of making the playoffs actually went down on Sunday despite the team moving up into third place in the AFC. With wins from all the Wild Card teams, if Buffalo fails to clinch the AFC East, they’ll be in a fight to even make the postseason.
Eight teams (including the Bills) have a winning record and only seven will make the playoffs. Buffalo has a cushion of 1.5 games plus a tiebreaker on that eighth team (the Las Vegas Raiders) and thanks to results on Sunday they’ve also clinched the tiebreakers when paired with the Miami Dolphins.
So it’s not gloomy and doomy here, but the Bills need to beat the teams they are supposed to beat. The San Francisco 49ers (5-6 and starting a backup QB) and Denver Broncos (4-8) have losing records. The New England Patriots (6-6) are on a mini-roll as are the 7-4 Miami Dolphins, but the Bills have beaten both teams this year. Especially with the undefeated Pittsburgh Steelers (11-0) coming to Orchard Park next Sunday night, staying a game ahead of Miami in the division is vital.
According to FiveThirtyEight, Buffalo’s chances of making the playoffs are 89% right now on Monday morning. A win pushes them up to 96%. A loss knocks them down to 81%. That’s a 15-point swing with just four games remaining.
Beat the teams you’re supposed to beat. Take care of business. That’s what good teams do. The Bills need to prove to themselves they’re a good team tonight.