After last week’s extremely popular post, I wanted to take another look at the Wild Card contenders, their schedules, conference records, etc. Last week was very good to the Bills and this week is another opportunity for them to build quite the cushion before going into a very difficult 4 week stretch.
At least for now, Houston leads the AFC South so I won’t include them in this, but…I don’t think we are done worrying about Houston. The AFC South grouping of Houston, Indy, and Tennessee might be an issue in a few weeks. As for now…here is where things stand. The Bills currently have a 1 game lead over the Raiders for the 6 spot and a 1.5 game lead for a playoff spot overall. With a win on Sunday, they will bump that lead to 2 games.
Easily, the biggest game with playoff implications for the Bills this week (aside from their own) is Oakland @ New York. If the Jets can win that would give the Bills a 2 game lead for the 5 seed, and it would give Oakland another conference loss.
The Bills still have the hardest remaining schedule, with the Raiders having the second toughest among the contenders. The Bills’ remaining opponents have a DVOA average of 10.1. For reference where that is in the league, the Green Bay Packers currently are 10th in DVOA rankings. The Raiders’ opponents have an average of about 15, which is where the Chicago Bears sit. The Colts are 19.8, which is Cleveland. And the Steelers are 18.1, which is Houston.
If the Bills “take care of their business” this week and improve to 8-3 they will be sitting pretty to play January football. A win would bump them to 6-2 in the conference and in full control for a playoff spot heading into a tough 4 game stretch. Go Bills! Follow us at @BuffAuthority on Twitter!
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