The Bills' bye week has come and gone, and it's time to get back to business.
Week 13 was a mixed bag of results across the league, as Buffalo (6-6) dropped to the 11th seed in the AFC standings after the Bengals' (6-6) OT win over the Jaguars (8-4) on Monday Night Football.
However, losses by the Steelers (7-6) and Browns (7-5) kept the gap from widening in the AFC Wild Card race. The Steelers also lost on Thursday Night Football to the Patriots, slipping to 8th in the AFC.
Here's who Bills fans should be rooting for in Week 14 for Buffalo's playoff odds to increase, according to the New York Times Playoff Machine.
Where the Bills stand
Record: 6-6
Current AFC Seed: 11th (Top 7 make the playoffs)
Current chance of reaching playoffs: 22%
AFC Standings entering Week 14
- Dolphins (9-3)
- Ravens (9-3)
- Chiefs (8-4)
- Jaguars (8-4)
- Browns (7-5) 1st Wild Card
- Colts (7-5) 2nd Wild Card
- Texans (7-5) 3rd Wild Card
In the Hunt
- Steelers (7-6)
- Broncos (6-6)
- Bengals (6-6)
- Bills (6-6)
Tiebreaker rules for Wild Card teams:
- Head-to-head, if applicable.
- Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the conference.
- Best won-lost-tied percentage in common games, minimum of four.
Note: The Bills can rise as high as 9th in the AFC with a win at the Chiefs + pending results from other AFC teams.
Week 14 Games to Watch
Colts at Bengals
Who to root for: Root for the Colts
Why: Both teams are ahead of the Bills in the AFC, but the Bills could move ahead of Cincinnati with a win at KC and a Bengals loss to the Colts. A Buffalo win + a Cincy loss would increase the Bills' playoff odds to 33%.
Jaguars at Browns
Who to root for: Root for the Jaguars
Why: The Jaguars are in 1st place in the AFC South, while the Browns are one of the many teams vying for a Wild Card spot. A Bills win + a Browns loss would increase Buffalo's playoff odds to 39%.
Buffalo can't move ahead of the Browns this week with a win, but would have a chance to leapfrog them in Week 15.
Texans at Jets
Who to root for: Root for the Jets
Why: Though the Jets are nearly eliminated from the playoff race, they could help the Bills by beating the Texans, who have the last Wild Card spot entering Week 14. A Bills win + a Texans loss would increase Buffalo's playoff odds to 38%.
With those two results, the Bills and Texans would have the same record entering Week 15 and Buffalo would have a chance to move ahead of Houston next week.
Broncos at Chargers
Who to root for: Root for the Chargers
Why: The Broncos are ahead of the Bills in the AFC by way of a head-to-head tiebreaker from Week 10. Buffalo could move ahead of Denver in the AFC with a win against the Chiefs and a Broncos loss to Los Angeles.
Those two results would increase Buffalo's playoff odds to 38%.
Worst Case Scenario
A Bills loss + a Bengals win + a Browns win + a Texans win + a Broncos win would decrease Buffalo's playoff odds to 5%.
In this scenario, Buffalo would stay as the 11th seed in the AFC.
Best Case Scenario
A Bills win + Bengals loss + Browns loss + Texans loss + Broncos loss would increase Buffalo's playoff odds to 39%.
In this scenario, Buffalo would rise to the 9th seed in the AFC.
