ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Yes, the Buffalo Bills were still on the outside looking in at the NFL playoffs, but they carried momentum into Week 16.
The Bills entered Week 16 having won back-to-back games at the Kansas City Chiefs, then at home against the Dallas Cowboys, to move within two games of the Miami Dolphins in the AFC East standings.
Then came Saturday's 24-22 victory in Los Angeles against the Chargers.
The top four seeds go to division winners, and the next three seeds are wild cards. If the postseason were to start today, here are what the matchups would look like:
- No. 1 Baltimore Ravens (11-3), bye
- No. 7 Indianapolis Colts (8-7) at No. 2 Miami Dolphins (11-4)
- No. 6 Buffalo Bills (9-6) at No. 3 Kansas City Chiefs (9-5)
- No. 5 Cleveland Browns (10-5) at No. 4 Jacksonville Jaguars (8-7)
That brings us to teams who are on the outside looking in, including the Bills. They are, in order:
- Houston Texans (8-7)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (8-7)
- Cincinnati Bengals (8-7)
- Denver Broncos (7-7)
- Las Vegas Raiders (6-8)
- New York Jets (6-9), eliminated
- Tennessee Titans (5-10), eliminated
- Los Angeles Chargers (5-10), eliminated
- New England Patriots (3-11), eliminated
Tiebreakers between and among teams are decided by several factors, including head-to-head outcomes, records against division opponents, records against AFC opponents, best win percentage in common games, and more.
Here's the remainder of the Bills' schedule:
- Week 17, Sunday, Dec. 31, vs. New England Patriots (3-11), 1 p.m.
- Week 18, Sunday, Jan. 7, at Miami Dolphins (10-4), TBA