AFC Playoff Picture: Texans’ loss moves Buffalo Bills higher

The Buffalo Bills can be in second in the AFC very soon.

The Houston Texans lost on Thursday night, paving the way for the Buffalo Bills to take over second place in the AFC by Sunday night. Of course, the Bills need to win to make that happen.

Entering Week 9, the 6-2 Bills were in fourth place in the AFC thanks to tiebreakers. Houston losing is good for Buffalo in playoff seeding, especially because the Texans have a head-to-head win over the Bills. With the Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2) on a bye week in Week 9, the Bills can vault all the way to second in the AFC with a win on Sunday.

After Thursday, Buffalo is currently third in the conference thanks to a worse AFC record than the Steelers. The Kansas City Chiefs are first at 7-0, while the Texans fell to 6-3 and fourth place.

If the Bills lose on Sunday to the Dolphins, they will be back in fourth place in the AFC but still have a commanding lead in the division.

Week 9 AFC standings following Thursday Night Football

Note: In the standings below, only the pertinent tiebreakers are listed.

1. Kansas City Chiefs (7-0)
2. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2, 4-1 AFC)
3. Buffalo Bills (6-2, 4-2 AFC)
4. Houston Texans (6-3)
5. Baltimore Ravens (5-3, 2-2 AFC)
6. Denver Broncos (5-3, 2-3 AFC)
7. Los Angeles Chargers (4-3)
8. Indianapolis Colts (4-4)
9. Cincinnati Bengals (3-5)
10. New York Jets (3-6)
11. Miami Dolphins (2-5)
12. Cleveland Browns (2-6, 2-2 AFC)
13. Las Vegas Raiders (2-6, 2-4 AFC, .438 strength of victory)
14. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-6, 2-4 AFC, .375 SOV, win over NEP)
15. New England Patriots (2-6, 2-4 AFC, .313 SOV, loss to JAX)
16. Tennessee Titans (1-6)