Nothing went the Buffalo Bills way in Week 10, which makes this week and every week moving forward uber-important. The Bills lost to the Miami Dolphins while the New England Patriots pulled off an overtime win over the Atlanta Falcons. That means that not only did Buffalo fail to regain the AFC East title spot, they failed to even keep pace.
The Bills are deeply rooted in the Wild Card position, dropping to the sixth seed thanks to that Week 10 loss to the Miami Dolphins, and well have to pay close attention to what the rest of the conference is doing. Its no longer a quest for the one seed and more of a stay in the AFCs Top 7 kind of race this month.
Heres a look at how things stand before Week 11 kicks off with Thursday Night Football between the New York Jets and New England Patriots.
The Bills cant reclaim the AFC Easts top position in Week 11, but they could put themselves back in control of that if they take care of business Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Jets pull of a big win. Cincinnati is trying to keep stride while they wait for Joe Burrow to be back under center something that looks like it will happen by the time the Bengals make the trip to Western New York in December. The Chiefs are fighting for their playoff lives, sitting just a game over .500, but it wouldnt be surprising to see three AFC West teams in the playoffs in January. Thats not something that will thrill any other team in the conference.
So, heres a look at how wed like to see things go this weekend. Get ready Bills Mafia, its going to be a wild weekend!
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Buffalo Bills (6-3) over Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-3), Sunday 1 p.m. EST (CBS)
This one goes without saying, but root for the Bills. A win, at the least, keeps Buffalo right where they are in the playoffs, and at best could move them back to the five-seed position. As it stands right now, Buffalo would be traveling to New England on Super Wild Card Weekend. Moving back up would slate them with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Of course, the ultimate goal is to get back to the top of the AFC East to get at least one extra game at Highmark Stadium before they make the move across the street next year. In order to do that, they need all the wins.
Go Bills!
New York Jets (2-7) over New England Patriots (8-2), Thursday 8:15 p.m. EST (Prime Video)
Another easy one to pick who to root for. The Bills cant take the AFC East crown unless someone beats the Patriots for them. That means that, no matter how unlikely the hero-to-be is each week, we will continue to root for whatever team is not New England. A loss to an AFC East rival? Nothing could be more helpful.
A Patriots loss, coupled with a Bills win, would put Buffalo just a half game out of first in the division. Then Buffalo could take care of the rest of things when they travel to New England in Week 15.
Miami Dolphins (3-7) over Washington Commanders (3-7), Sunday 9:30 a.m. EST (NFL Network)
I know it seems wrong to root for the Dolphins especially after they just handed the Bills a very embarrassing beat down in Miami last week. But hear me out. Draft capital. Miami isnt making a run for the playoffs (Mike McDaniel may think so, but hes the only one). They arent going to steal the Wild Card from the Bills.
A Dolphins win improves the Bills Strength of Schedule (and technically their Strength of Victory since they took the win back when the teams met back in September). Plus, more wins for Miami moves them back in the draft order, meaning they arent as likely to get the help they need to get out of the AFC East basement soon.
Jacksonville Jaguars (5-5) over Los Angeles Chargers (7-3), Sunday 1 p.m. EST (CBS)
Buffalo is sandwiched between these two teams in the current Playoff Picture. As long as the Bills take care of business Sunday afternoon, a Chargers loss would have Buffalo and Los Angeles switching places while a win by Jacksonville serves a second purpose as well: keeping Kansas City on the outside looking in.
Pittsburgh Steelers (5-4) over Cincinnati Bengals (3-6), Sunday 1 p.m. EST (CBS)
Pittsburgh sits ahead of Buffalo in the standings, I know. But the Bills have the better record, so if they get back into the top four, they will leap-frog over the Steelers. This is more about keeping Baltimore out of the playoffs and not keeping the Bengals on life support while they wait for Joe Burrow.
Baltimore Ravens (4-5) over Cleveland Brows (2-7), Sunday 4:25 p.m. EST (CBS)
I know, I just said keep the Ravens out of the playoffs. But, if the Steelers do their job, thats handled. So, a Ravens win will help the Bills Strength of Victory score a lot. Too many of the teams they have beaten do not have winning records. Getting Baltimore back to .500 will be a step in the right direction should Buffalo need that tiebreaker with another AFC team come January.
Kansas City Chiefs (5-4) over Denver Broncos (8-2), Sunday 4:25 p.m. EST (CBS
Dont shoot the messenger, but its important to root for the Chiefs this week. Heres why: If Buffalo were to get back into the top portion of the Playoff Picture soon, making sure Denver has the same number of losses as them would be key to moving into the two-seed spot. The Bills beat the Chiefs, so a Kansas City win improves Buffalos Strength of Victory score and gives them a tie-breaker over the Broncos due to common opponent win/loss/tie record – for now. The two AFC West teams will meet again on Christmas Day, but so much can change by then that we need to just focus on what we know now. So, sadly, get your war chant ready for Sunday evening.
Here, its all about three things: Rooting for outcomes that improve Buffalos overall SOS, NFC vs. AFC, or taking the team that will better-position the Bills in the playoff race.
Carolina Panthers (5-5) over Atlanta Falcons (3-5) improves Bills SOVHouston Texans (4-5) over Tennessee Titans (1-8) improve Bills SOSPhiladelphia Eagles (7-2) over Detriot Lions (6-3) improve Bills SOSLas Vegas Raiders (2-7) over Dallas Cowboys (3-5-1)- AFC over NFC (draft positioning)
Games that do not impact the Bills this week
Chicago Bears (6-3) at Minnesota Vikings (4-5)Green Bay Packers (5-3-1) at New York Giants (2-8)San Francisco 49ers (6-4) at Arizona Cardinals (3-6)Seattle Seahawks (7-2) at Los Angeles Rams (7-2)
Teams on ByeIndianapolis Colts, New Orleans Saints
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So, if all the bounces go the Bills way and all the right teams win, this is what the standings in the AFC would look like on Tuesday morning:
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Now we know who to root for and, more importantly, who to root against, as it relates to the Buffalo Bills in Week 11.
Go Bills!