Football Outsiders, one of the longest-standing and best-respected analytics sites out there, published an early set of projections for the 2016 season in the AFC this week. In those projections, the Buffalo Bills are projected for 8.6 wins (rounded up to 9-7 overall), which isn't good enough to end the team's 16-year playoff drought based on everything else in the projection.
The 8.6 projected wins is the seventh-highest total in the AFC, and puts the Bills ahead of all four AFC South teams (Houston, at 8.0 wins, is projected to win that division). The problem is that three AFC North teams - Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, and Baltimore - are all projected to finish 10-6, making the Bills the last team to be cut from the playoff field.
Buffalo is projected to finish second in the AFC East, one game behind New England, who are only expected to lose less than a game in the standings if quarterback Tom Brady serves his four-game suspension. The Bills, evidently, are expected to rebound on defense from their poor showing in 2015, but are also expected to take a step back on offense, balancing themselves out a bit.
What do you think, Bills fans? Over or under eight and a half wins for the Bills this season?