ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — The postseason odds for the Buffalo Bills are improving each week.
After a dominant home win against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 15, combined with some losses elsewhere in the AFC, the New York Times gave the Bills a 68 percent chance to make the NFL playoffs entering this week.
Following their Saturday night victory in Los Angeles against the Chargers, it shot up to 80 percent.
The Times has its own NFL playoff simulator, run by The Upshot. The Bills' postseason odds entering Week 11 on that site were a mere 20 percent.
If the Bills were to win next week at Highmark Stadium against the New England Patriots — but lose the regular-season finale in Miami against the Dolphins, their odds drop to 67 percent.
The Baltimore Ravens became the first AFC team to clinch a playoff berth last week.
After that, the teams with the next-best chances to make the AFC playoffs entering Week 16, according to the New York Times, were the Kansas City Chiefs (over 99 percent), Miami Dolphins (99 percent), Cleveland Browns (88 percent), and Jacksonville Jaguars (73 percent).
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
