Buffalo Rumblings
It’s been an amazing weekend of NFL football, and there’s still a pair of primetime games to take in. Tonight, a matchup between the 7-7 Baltimore Ravens and the 11-3 New England Patriots will have everyone glued to their screens, especially so for Bills Mafia and those who love the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Here at Buffalo Rumblings, you’ll find yourself in a bit of a strange situation if you’re wondering how to approach rooting with the Bills’ best interests in mind. The move here is to root on the Ravens to victory over the Patriots. That’s a pretty reasonable request even if you’re not a fan of Baltimore’s football team. You’re even less so one of New England’s squad.
So why do you want to see the Ravens defeat the Patriots? You probably already get it, but it’s all about playoff seeding and matchups, of course. As Rachel Auberger explained in Rumblings’ the Bills Week 16 AFC playoff race rooting interests article, there’s a clear reason now that Buffalo improved to 11-4:
“Buffalo needs New England to lose to either the Jets or the Dolphins. But that’s if their records end up tied at the end of the season. A loss to Baltimore (plus Buffalo beating Cleveland) ties the Bills and the Patriots. That means New York or Miami wouldn’t have to beat New England in Weeks 17 and/or 18 — they would simply need a tie.”
That’s it. Well, that is, if you hope to see the Bills win the AFC East a six-consecutive time, and continue fighting for the one seed in the AFC playoff bracket. If, instead, you rather dislike the idea of Buffalo having a potential playoff rematch with Baltimore, then you’d be cheering on those pesky Patriots. One would imagine that wide receiver Stefon Diggs will be extra motivated in a return to his hometown state of Maryland.
What’s your move here, Rumblers?
With that, here’s your open thread for Week 16 of NFL action under the spectacle of Sunday Night Football. As always, be kind to one another — and in all things… Go Bills!
