Last week the Bills received enough help to jump from the 4 seed to the 2 seed in the conference. If the season ended today, they would start the playoffs in the same spot that they did last year. In order to get into the top spot we will have to see a miraculous finish by the Bills and a miraculous collapse by the Tennessee Titans. With 7 games to go (6 for the Titans) anything is possible, no matter how dim it looks.
AFC Standings
- Tennessee 8-2
- Buffalo 6-3
- Baltimore 6-3
- Kansas City 6-4
- New England 7-4
- Pittsburgh 5-3-1
- LA Chargers 5-4
— - Las Vegas 5-4
- Cincinnati 5-4
- Indianapolis 5-5
As it stands today, the Titans have to lose 2 of their remaining 6 games for the Bills to get the 1 seed. That is assuming the Bills win out and finish 14-3. If the Bills lose 1 more game, then the Titans would have to lose 3 of their final 6. If it is going to happen it will happen one week at a time. Let’s dive into Week 11 and see what needs to go the Bills’ way today.
Indianapolis @ Buffalo
A Bills win today would help their future seeding position among their other AFC competitors. The AFC conference record is the 2nd tie-breaker, or the 1st tiebreaker if the two teams do not play eachother. For the Bills, that would be the case against the Ravens, Chargers, Raiders, and Bengals. Today is a must-win for the Bills.
Baltimore @ Chicago
The Dolphins helped the Bills tremendously last week by upsetting the Ravens. This could be another difficult game for the Ravens to get through with Lamar Jackson being a game-time decision. The Ravens do have tougher games remaining, so getting an extra loss against a sub-par team would be a bonus. Root for the Bears.
Houston @ Tennessee
Outside of their own game, this is the biggest game of the week for the Bills. Unfortunately, with an opponent like the Texans, there is not much reason for hope in this one. And that will be a consistent problem for the Bills as the Titans have the easiest remaining schedule in the league with their opponents having a .356 winning percentage. A Tyrod Taylor upset today would help the Bills’ bye-week bid tremendously.
Cincinnati @ Las Vegas
This has benefits either way for the Bills. Both of these teams have brutal remaining schedules so I would be surprised to see them on the Bills’ tail for much longer. I think the Raiders are a stronger team overall, so adding another loss to their record wouldn’t be a bad thing. Additionally, if the Steelers win the AFC North the Bills would lose a head-to-head tiebreaker against them. But the tiebreak again the Bengals would be conference record. With the Bills remaining AFC opponents being much easier, I don’t see the Bengals topping the Bills’ conference record in the end. I would root for the Bengals in this one.
Dallas @ Kansas City
When the Bills dominated the Chiefs back in early October, and the Chargers off to a hot start, it looked like we could put the Chiefs in the rearview mirror for the foreseeable future. That lasted about 6 weeks as the Chiefs are back on top of the AFC West. Taking the tiebreaker into consideration, the Bills have a 2 game lead over the Chiefs. I do not think the Chiefs will surpass the Bills in the standings but it would be wise to root for them to lose in this one. As hard as it is to do, root for the Cowboys today.
Pittsburgh @ LA Chargers
The Steelers’ tie last week against the Lions kept them out of the AFC North lead, and thus in front of the Bills. This one should be obvious for the Bills thanks to their Week 1 loss to Pittsburgh. Root for the Chargers to get back on track tonight.
That’s it, Bills fans. A tough ask for the Texans today but one that we will be watching closely. As always, none are more important than the Bills handling their business against the Colts.
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