The Buffalo Bills now sit at 9-4 after a 24-17 loss to the Baltimore Ravens at home. A win over the Ravens would have locked up a Buffalo Bills playoff berth thanks to some help they received from several other teams. The Titans beat the Raiders, the Broncos beat the Texans, and the Buccaneers beat the Colts. All three of those games were needs for Buffalo last week. Unfortunately, the team was unable to take out the AFC East, leading Ravens at home to lock up a playoff spot. But this week, Buffalo will, once again, have a chance to lock up a spot in the playoffs.
Win and the Bills are in
On "Sunday Night Football," Buffalo will take on the Pittsburgh Steelers in what will likely be a game with some snow on the field, according to weather.com. The Steelers, currently at 8-5, represent one of the biggest threats to Buffalo's playoff hopes. By defeating the Steelers, the Bills would get the tiebreaker over them and Pittsburgh could not surpass them at 10-6 in any scenario. Because the Titans and Texans play two games against each other in the final three weeks, neither one would be able to surpass Buffalo in the wild card standings, and Buffalo would at least clinch the 5th seed in the playoffs.
Loss to Pittsburgh
Even if the Bills lose to the Steelers, they will need to win just one of their final two games against the Patriots and Jets to make the playoffs.
The Steelers will have the tiebreaker over Buffalo, but thanks to Buffalo's head to head victory over the Titans, Buffalo could not be left out of the playoffs at 10-6, according to the ESPN playoff machine. Unfortunately, a loss to Pittsburgh would give them the 5 seed after week 15. That would likely leave Buffalo with a tougher game at Arrowhead against the Kansas City Chiefs.
The 9-7 Buffalo Bills?
Even after a great start, it is possible that Buffalo could lose their final three games of the season. There's still a road to the postseason, but it's much tougher. Pittsburgh will be ahead of Buffalo, regardless of their results, if the Bills finish at 9-7. For Buffalo to make the postseason with that record, the Titans will need to lose two of their three games against the Saints and Texans (twice).
That would leave the Titans with a 9-7 record, and Buffalo has the tiebreaker over them. As long as Cleveland or Oakland do not win their remaining three games and finish 9-7, Buffalo would still make the postseason.
The Buffalo Bills can also make the playoffs if the Titans win the AFC South and the Texans finish with a 9-7 record. In that situation, the Buffalo Bills would earn the 6th seed in the AFC thanks to a better record against common opponents. It's certainly not impossible for Buffalo to make the playoffs with just a 9-7 record, but fans would much rather see the Bills take care of business and beat their last few opponents. There's still a chance that Buffalo steals the AFC East away from New England depending on what happens in the last few weeks, so the team will be playing hard to get their way into the playoffs once again.
