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As the 2025 NFL season enters its final stretch, the Buffalo Bills are gaining momentum at the right time, and one ESPN insider believes their window to finally reach the Super Bowl may be wide open. Still, that optimism comes with a clear warning about a rapidly rising threat in the AFC: the Houston Texans.
Buffalo has won three straight games and sits at 10-4 following a dramatic Week 15 comeback victory over the New England Patriots. The Bills erased a 21-0 first-half deficit to secure a 35-31 win, handing the AFC-leading Patriots their third loss of the season and snapping New England’s control at the top of the conference.
In a joint ESPN piece, Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler evaluated the AFC playoff picture and identified Buffalo as the most prepared contender to navigate the postseason grind.
“The Bills will win the AFC. We still don’t know yet whether they’re going to the playoffs as a wild-card team or as division champs for the sixth year in a row (or at all, technically),” Graziano wrote. “But assuming they’re there, they would certainly be the most playoff-tested of the likely AFC teams.”
Graziano emphasized quarterback Josh Allen’s postseason résumé as a key differentiator. Allen has made 13 career playoff starts with seven wins, second only to Aaron Rodgers among current AFC quarterbacks. Graziano noted that most of Buffalo’s potential conference rivals lack similar experience under playoff pressure.
“The Bills are aware of the experience difference between them and the rest of the AFC field, and they would point out with no disrespect intended that we don’t know how teams such as the Patriots, Jaguars and Broncos are going to do in the playoff pressure cooker,” Graziano added. “The Bills feel pretty confident they know what it’s going to be like — even if they have to go on the road.”
Buffalo’s remaining schedule presents both opportunity and challenge. The Bills will face the Cleveland Browns (3-11) and New York Jets (3-11), with a pivotal matchup against the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles (9-5) sandwiched in between. A strong finish could position Buffalo for another AFC East title and a favorable postseason path.
While Graziano leaned toward Buffalo as the conference favorite, Fowler offered a counterbalance by highlighting the Houston Texans as a legitimate Super Bowl threat.
“SBuffalo’s time might be now, even if Allen must will a Super Bowl berth into existence with heroic weekly outputs,” Fowler wrote. “Buffalo’s supporting cast is good but not great.”
Fowler then shifted his focus to Houston, which has surged after a slow start.
“Staying with the AFC, give me the Texans for a Super Bowl run,” Fowler wrote. “They are 9-2 in their past 11 games. Stroud is back and playing good football. The defense might be the NFL’s most feared.”
The Texans improved to 9-5 after a dominant 40-20 Week 15 win over the Arizona Cardinals, extending their winning...
