Will the Steelers gift the Bills another Chiefs’ loss?
The Buffalo Bills narrowly escaped adding another loss to their 2024 record Sunday afternoon when they overcame a 14-point deficit to beat the New England Patriots 24-21. The win was ugly. Quarterback Josh Allen said that it was because the offense didn’t want to show all their tricks before the playoffs. The defense was without five starters. The air was cold. The ball was frozen.
Choose what narrative you want, but the bottom line is that the Bills won, and that, coupled with a Pittsburgh Steelers loss last Saturday, means that they’re one game away from securing the two seed in the AFC and getting two home playoff games.
Of course, the one seed isn’t off the table quite yet either — although it will take the Kansas City Chiefs losing their final two games for Buffalo to be able to snatch it away from them. But stranger things have happened — like the Bills getting behind the Patriots by 14 points.
So, with the idea that Buffalo can clinch the two seed regardless of what anyone else does by simply taking down the New York Jets on Sunday, and the thought that the one seed is still — mathematically at least — in play, here’s a look at who Bills Mafia should be rooting for in Week 17.
AFC Standings heading into Week 17
Division Leaders
- Kansas City Chiefs (14-1, AFC West Champion)
- Buffalo Bills (12-3, AFC East Champion)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (10-5, guaranteed a spot in the playoffs)
- Houston Texans (9-6, AFC South Champion)
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Current Wild Card Teams
- Baltimore Ravens (10-5, guaranteed a spot in the playoffs)
- Los Angeles Chargers (9-6)
- Denver Broncos (9-6)
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Teams still mathematically in the hunt for a Wild Card berth
- Indianapolis Colts (7-8)
- Miami Dolphins (7-8)
- Cincinnati Bengals (7-8)
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Teams eliminated from this year’s playoffs
- New York Jets (4-11)
- Cleveland Browns (3-12)
- Jacksonville Jaguars (3-12)
- Tennessee Titans (3-12)
- Las Vegas Raiders (3-12)
- New England Patriots (3-12)
Games with Playoff Seeding Implications for Buffalo
Pittsburgh Steelers (10-5) over Kansas City Chiefs (14-1), Christmas Day 1 p.m. EST (Netflix)
A Chiefs loss plus a Bills win makes Week 18 important for both teams. But a Kansas City win on Christmas Day and Week 18 is nothing more than a preseason game.
Sure, if the Steelers win and the Bills lose, the two seed is in jeopardy — but the Bills just need to win one out of two games to lock that in. Plus, a Steelers win would mean they are one step closer to winning the AFC North and keeping the Ravens from potentially jumping from the five seed, so a Pittsburgh win would be a great gift for Buffalo on Christmas Day.
Houston Texans (9-6) over Baltimore Ravens (10-5), Christmas Day 4:30 p.m. EST (Netflix)
The Texans hold the tiebreaker scenario over the Bills due to their Week 5 head-to-head win. But that’s okay — the good news is that with Houston’s Week 16 loss and Buffalo’s win, they cannot end the season in a tie. The Texans can only get to 11 wins even if they win out. The Bills already have 12.
However, there’s still a possibility that the Ravens could jump over the Steelers, take the AFC North and end the season in a tie with Buffalo. If that were to happen, the Bills would be the three seed as they lost to Baltimore in Week 4. So, a Ravens loss on Christmas would guarantee that can’t happen.
Buffalo Bills (12-3) over New York Jets (4-11), Sunday, 1 p.m. EST (CBS)
A win and the Bills secure at least the two seed. Of course, depending on what happens on Christmas Day, a win could also keep the Bills contending for the one seed.
lNot bad for a team that was predicted to be fighting for a wild card position. Plus, a sweep of the division would be a nice touch, and this win would put them one game away from accomplishing that as well. Of course, the Bills could also use a boost after the “ugly” game they played in Week 16.
Games to watch for Buffalo’s potential playoff opponents
New England Patriots (3-12) over Los Angeles Chargers (9-6), Saturday 1 p.m. EST (NFL Network)
Denver Broncos (9-6) over Cincinnati Bengals (7-8), Saturday, 4:30 p.m. EST (NFL Network)
Indianapolis Colts (7-8) over New York Giants (2-13), Sunday, 1 p.m. EST (FOX)
Cleveland Browns (3-12) over Miami Dolphins (7-8), Sunday 4:05 p.m. EST (CBS)
Games to watch for 2025 NFL Draft order
Chicago Bears (4-11) over Seattle Seahawks (8-7), Thursday Night Football, 8:15 p.m. EST (Prime Video)
Los Angeles Rams (9-6) over Arizona Cardinals (7-8), Saturday, 8:15 p.m. EST (NFL Network)
Tennessee Titans (3-12) at Jacksonville Jaguars (3-12), Sunday, 1 p.m. EST (CBS)
Las Vegas Raiders (3-12) over New Orleans Saints (5-9), Sunday 1 p.m. EST (FOX)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-7) over Carolina Panthers (4-11), Sunday, 1 p.m. EST (CBS)
Philadelphia Eagles (12-3) over Dallas Cowboys (7-8), Sunday, 1 p.m. EST (FOX)
Minnesota Vikings (13-2) over Green Bay Packers (10-4), Sunday 4:25 p.m. (FOX)
Washington Commanders (10-5) over Atlanta Falcons (8-7), Sunday, 8:20 p.m. (NBC)
Detroit Lions (13-2) over San Francisco 49ers (6-9), Monday, 8:15 p.m. (ESPN)
In all of the above games, we’re rooting for the AFC team with the worst record to win and the NFC team with the best record to win. If this were to happen this week and next, NFC teams would have better draft picks than the AFC teams. This would mean that teams that could stand between Buffalo and the playoffs in future years won’t have the opportunity to snatch as many top prospects off the draft board and will have to find other — possibly more expensive — ways to improve their rosters.
Now we know who to root for, who to root against, and what games to keep tabs on during Week 17 — Go Bills!