1. Buffalo jumps up to the No. 2 line in the AFC playoff standings
Good news keeps coming for the Buffalo Bills. On Saturday, the team clinched its first AFC East title in 25 years. On Monday, five players were named to the Pro Bowl roster. And Monday night, the Cincinnati Bengals upset the Pittsburgh Steelers 27-17. The loss dropped the Steelers to an 11-3 record.
The Bills now hold the No. 2 spot in the AFC playoff standings heading into Week 16.
Here's a look at the AFC playoff standings this week:
- Kansas City Chiefs (13-1)
- Buffalo Bills (11-3)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (11-3)
- Tennessee Titans (10-4)
- Cleveland Browns (10-4)
- Indianapolis Colts (10-4)
- Miami Dolphins (9-5)
In the hunt
- Baltimore Ravens (9-5)
- Oakland Raiders (7-7)
2. Peter King named Sean McDermott coach of the week
In 2017, Sean McDermott came into Buffalo and completely changed the whole culture of the organization. He has a 36-26 regular season record as a Bills head coach which ranks fourth in franchise history, only one win behind Chuck Knox. This week in Peter King's Football Morning in America, King gave the honor of Coach of the Week for week 15 to Sean McDermott. Here's what King had to say about him:
Sean McDermott, head coach, Buffalo - When the Bills hired him 47 months ago, no way McDermott was expected to make the playoffs in three of his first four years and finally beat back New England for the division title in year four. But he's done that and developed a team ethos that the veterans recognize as special. "He puts guys on the team who love football and get along," defensive end Jerry Hughes said Saturday night. As I wrote in the top to this column, even in an ever-changing NFL, the Bills have ripped it up and rebuilt on the fly in an unprecedented way in McDermott's four seasons. Of the 53 men on the active roster Saturday in Denver only one—Hughes—was on the active roster when McDermott was hired in January 2017. He's 37-27 since taking the job, with the chance to get to 40 (including playoffs) in the next month.
3. Bills Billboard makes an appearance in Foxborough
Back in August, Fox Sports had their second annual Ultimate Fan Bracket. This is where fans could vote on Twitter for their favorite team and help them advance to the next round. With Bills Mafia being the best fan base in the world, it makes sense that the Bills won the fan bracket. The prize for winning was a billboard put up anywhere in the world and Bills Mafia picked Foxborough, Massachusetts. The billboard is set up just four minutes away from Gillette Stadium. Fans can take a photo with the billboard, tag @NFLonFOX and use the hashtag #FoxFanBracket and Fox Sports will share their favorites.
