Buffalo Rumblings
The Buffalo Bills have verry nearly clinched a playoff spot but not quite.
The Buffalo Bills moved to 9-2 on Sunday for the first time since 1992, and they are in prime position to clinch a playoff spot early. Let’s take a look at the playoff picture to see when they can clinch a playoff spot.
The Bills can pretty much start printing playoff tickets, if such tickets were still physically printed. They currently have a better than 99% chance to win the AFC East. Even if they lose all the rest of their games to fall to 9-8, they are still an 89% chance to win the division.
Buffalo is 4.5 games up on the Miami Dolphins with six Bills games left to play and seven Dolphins games.
Because the Patriots and Dolphins play each other in Week 12, one of them will get a victory. That means that Miami will either have seven losses or the Patriots will have eight, and that means Buffalo can’t clinch over their bye week.
Buffalo can clinch the AFC East in Week 13 with a win over the 49ers and one loss over the next two weeks by the Miami Dolphins. Miami plays the Patriots in Week 12 and the Indianapolis Colts.
Buffalo can clinch the AFC East in Week 13 with a loss to the 49ers if the Patriots beat the Dolphins in Week 12 AND the rest of the AFC East loses in Week 13. The Dolphins play the Green Bay Packers, the Patriots face the Colts, and the Jets face the Seattle Seahawks.
Here are the current standings in the AFC:
1. Kansas City Chiefs (9-1)
2. Buffalo Bills (9-2)
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (8-2)
4. Houston Texans (6-4)
5. Los Angeles Chargers (6-3)
6. Baltimore Ravens (7-4)
7. Denver Broncos (6-5)
8. Indianapolis Colts (5-6)
9. Miami Dolphins (4-6, 3-4 AFC)
10. Cincinnati Bengals (4-6, 2-4 AFC)
11. New York Jets (3-8, 2-1 vs. common NE opponents)
12. New England Patriots (3-8, 0-3 vs. common NYJ opponents)
13. Cleveland Browns (2-8, 2-3 AFC)
14. Tennessee Titans (2-8, 2-4 AFC)
15. Las Vegas Raiders (2-8, 2-6 AFC)
16. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-9)
The easiest way for the Bills to clinch a playoff spot is to win the division, so a Wild Card conversation is academic. If the Bills are in the Wild Card race, they are 9-8 because if they get to 10 wins or more, they win the division.
