The Buffalo Bills currently sit at 6-6, which is good enough for the 8th seed in the AFC. The only problem with that is, 6 teams make the playoffs. The San Diego Chargers hold the tie-breaker over the Bills when they (and I’m sure we all remember) picked off Nathan Peterman five times en route to a 30-point blowout a few weeks ago. Obviously, the Bills won’t be catching the Patriots for the division title, so the only shot is through the Wildcard. The Jaguars (8-4) & Ravens (7-5) currently hold claim to the 5th & 6th seed respectively. Baltimore and Buffalo do play this year in the regular season so the first tie-breaker (if needed) between the two would be Conference Record. The Ravens are 5-3 while the Bills are 4-4 against AFC play. Joe Flacco will lead his troops into war this Sunday night when the Ravens take on the Steelers in what should be a smash-mouth football game. Please Note: We are going to tackle the Bills remaining schedule under the theory of Tyrod Taylor being the STARTING QB the rest of the way.
Now, to the remaining games. First up, this Sunday at 1pm EST, the 3-9, Andrew Luck-less Colts come to Orchard Park. The Colts have struggled all season but to their credit, out of their 12 games played, seven of them been within 6 points or less (3-4 in those games). Jacoby Brissett has filled in nicely this season but let’s face it, he’s not a top tier QB, possibly not even a top 2 tier QB and the Bills defense should control the line throughout the contest. The Colts are on a 3-game losing streak in which Brissett topped 200 yards passing, just once. The Colts run game, what Colts run game? It has been nearly non-existent all season, failing to post a 100-yard rushing game all season. Bills win, 30-19 (Improve to 7-6 overall — 5-4 conference).
Next up, the Miami Dolphins (5-7). Miami has shown flashes throughout the season of what that offense can be capable of, but they are more pretenders than contenders. With Jay Cutler leading the charge, you won’t know if he’s going to throw for 400 yards or 4 interceptions in the first half. Miami, like the Colts, barely have a running game as they rank 29th in the league in rushing yards per game. Buffalo should be able to get pressure on Cutler and possibly force turnovers, and a lot of them. Look for LeSean McCoy to get going early in this one, the Dolphins give up 116.5 rush yards a game. Bills make it two in a row, 23-13 (Improve to 8-6 overall — 6-4 conference).
Week 16 will bring us to Foxborough for a division match-up that some might say is a near-impossible must win for the Buffalo Bills. And you know what, they’re probably right. The Bills have never beaten Tom Brady in Foxborough (2014 – Bills won 17-9 in last game of the season, Brady only played first half. Won Super Bowl that year.) We can probably all chalk this one up as an L, however, if all is healthy, the Bill can make this a competitive contest. Pats pull away late, Bills go down, 28-16 (Drop to 8-7 overall — 6-5 conference).
Last but not least, the saddest day in all of professional sports (in my opinion), the end of the NFL Regular Season. The Bills will travel south for holidays and spend New Year’s Eve afternoon in Miami. This is the biggest MUST WIN’s of all must win’s. Going 2-1 in those last three games I predicted, will either allow the Bills to keep pace with the Ravens or be at least tied with them going into the season finale. The Dolphins will be trying to play spoiler and there is nothing more Miami fans would like to see is the Bills being knocked out of playoff contention by their squad. The Bills will stay focused and enjoy the sunny weather, knocking off the Phins, 33-30 in a nail biting shootout. If the Bills fail to go 3-1 in their remaining games, we can certainly guarantee it will be 19 seasons without a playoff appearance. (Improve to 9-7 — 7-5 conference).
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