Like I said last week, a lot can change in a week in the NFL. Before the Snow Bowl against the Colts, the Bills were in 8th place in the AFC. Today, they sit at 6th and in the final wild card position. Here are the standings:
Despite currently sitting in playoff position, the Bills do not control their own playoff destiny. Right now, a strength of victory tiebreaker between the Chargers, Bills and Ravens goes to the Bills. But by the end of season, that tiebreaker will no longer be in play, which will push Buffalo out of the playoff picture. If 3 teams are tied, then more complicated tiebreakers come into play. So for now, let’s continue to stick with the easiest path I have spoken of for the last two weeks:
Overall, here are 3 different ways for the Bills to make the playoffs if they finish 9-7:
- Jacksonville wins the AFC South, Tennessee finishes 8-8.
- Baltimore finishes 8-8
- LA Chargers win the AFC West and Kansas City or Oakland finish 9-7 (or worse)
**These are not the only ways, but I believe these are the clearest ways right now.
Here are your rooting interests for Week 15:
LA Chargers @ Kansas City
This one is up for debate. I personally believe the Chargers should win the division, but some of the predictive models give the Bills a slightly better chance at the postseason if the Chiefs end up winning the division. Root for who you wish in this one, I’ll be rooting for Los Angeles.
Miami @ Buffalo
Unless the Bills are going to win in Foxboro, they absolutely must have this game. No questions asked.
Baltimore @ Cleveland
It seems impossible, but if the Browns could somehow beat the Ravens it would help the Bills tremendously. Root for the Browns here.
Tennessee @ San Francisco
Tennessee needs to lose out. Jimmy Garopollo is 2-0 with the 49ers. Let’s hope that he remains undefeated after this one, too.
Dallas @ Oakland
Root for Dallas to finally send Oakland out the playoff picture.
If the Bills have another week like last week (with all the help), then it should make for a really interesting look at things in the final few weeks. Follow me on Twitter: @m_lafave for more!
buffaloauthority.com 