Buffalo Bills Root Up Interests, Week 6

Not much happened to the Buffalo Bills last week, but despite everything, the Bills are still the number one team in the AFC East. That could all change this week if Buffalo doesn’t get back in the win column. With the Bills not playing until Monday night, it’s crucial to know who to vote for as we wait for the game.

Last week saw a complete overhaul of the AFC standings, with one division changing leaders and all wildcard teams being swapped. That, plus Buffalo’s two conference losses, will start to make things interesting as we decide who should get the support of the Bills Mafia this weekend as we wait for Monday night.

Here’s a look at the current AFC rankings at the start of Week 6:

AFC East

Buffalo notes (3-2)
New York Jets (2-3)
Miami Dolphins (2-3)
New England Patriots (1-4)

Full AFC Playoff Photo (if the playoffs started this week)

Kansas City Chiefs (5-0)
Houston Texans (4-1)
Baltimore Ravens (3-2)
Buffalo notes (3-2)
Pittsburgh Steelers (3-2)
Denver Broncos (3-2)
Los Angeles Chargers (2-2)
New York Jets (2-3)
Las Vegas Raiders (2-3)
Miami Dolphins (2-3)
Indianapolis foals (2-3)
Tennessee Titans (1-3)
Cleveland Browns (1-4)
New England Patriots (1-4)
Jacksonville Jaguars (1-4)
Cincinnati Bengals (1-4)

Buffalo Bills (3-2) over New York Jets (2-3)

Monday Night Football – 8:15 PM EDT (ESPN)

We always root for the Bills here, but Buffalo needs a win on Monday night. With two straight losses to AFC teams, the Bills need to right the ship – and now. While the Week 5 loss to the Texans didn’t have the same scoreboard embarrassment as the Week 4 loss to the Ravens, the play on the field told a very different story. With an offense accustomed to fireworks, the Bills could barely muster enough pop for a stunner.

Now they head to New Jersey to take on a division opponent in the Jets. — an opponent who just watched his head coach of the past three years get escorted out of the building on the first official day of Week 6. An opponent that threatens to knock the Bills (at least for now) off the division leading pedestal. If there are games you need to win mid-season, this is one of them. Losing on Monday night would put Buffalo in a tough position as they would have to claw their way back to the top having lost to only AFC teams.

It goes without saying, but… Go Bills!

Thursday night football – does it matter?

Seattle Seahawks (3-2) over San Francisco 49ers (2-3)

Thursday – 8:15 PM EDT (NFL Network)

Yes. This week’s matchup between two NFC teams could impact Buffalo’s standing in the AFC at the end of the season. With the Bills set to play both Seahawks on the road in two weeks and then host the 49ers in December, this game could come into play if Buffalo needed strength-of-win scores or strength-of-schedule scores to to break. a tie with another AFC team for playoff position.

The question becomes which of these two teams we think the Bills will beat. Right now Seattle is a playoff team, San Francisco is not. If that’s true, then it’s in Buffalo’s best interest if the Seahawks win on Thursday night.

AFC East

New England Patriots (1-4) over Houston Texans (4-1)

Sunday – 1:00 PM EDT (CBS)

Yes, it is necessary to make the case for the division rival this week. Now that the Texans defeated the Bills in Week 5, they are the current two seed in the AFC. Losing to Houston on Sunday won’t change that, but it would be the first step toward that end goal. A New England win won’t help them leave the AFC East cellar, so there’s no harm in rooting for the enemy this week.

Remaining Week 6 AFC Matches

Granted, it’s too early to talk about playoffs. That said, there are some pretty strong contenders that the Bills are all but guaranteed to see in the postseason. So here’s what Bills Mafia should look out for in this weekend’s games.

Jacksonville Jaguars (1-4) over Chicago Bears (3-2)

Sunday – 9:30am EDT (NFL Network)

Another game in London and, like last year, the Jaguars will be visitors this week – then they will stay in Britain and become a home team next week. While it seems logical to compete against the AFC team in interconference battles, winning their second game of the season in Jacksonville would be an advantage for the Bills, who have only defeated teams with losing records. That’s something that won’t bode well for their win rating.

Washington Commanders on Baltimore Ravens

Sunday – 1:00 PM EDT (CBS)

With the Ravens humiliating the Bills on national television, watching their demise would bring a little joy to Bills fans. Luckily, Buffalo can take on the Ravens this week, as Baltimore is currently the third seed in the AFC and will have the main tie-breaker over the Bills: a head-to-head win. Additionally, a win in Buffalo and a loss in Baltimore would result in an exchange of seeds for the two division leaders.

Philadelphia Eagles (2-2) vs. Cleveland Browns (1-4)

Sunday – 1:00 PM EDT (FOX)

While Buffalo doesn’t play any of these teams, nor do the Jets who are trying to keep the Bills out of first place in the AFC East, nor do the Texans who Buffalo will chase for one AFC seeding, Kansas City and Baltimore play a combined three times against the Cleveland Browns. Lowering the strength of the schedule of two of the AFC’s best teams in one fell swoop is always a win.

Tennessee Titans (1-3) over Indianapolis Colts (2-3)

Sunday – 1:00 PM EDT (CBS)

Buffalo plays both teams. Neither will topple the Texans from the top of their division, and at this point neither is in a position to even clinch a playoff spot (though there’s still a lot of football to be played and things can change quickly in the NFL ). Picking the Titans here gives both teams a pair of wins, meaning Bill’s wins over both equates to improved win strength – a little, but at this point we’ll take whatever we can get.

Denver Broncos (3-2) over Los Angeles Chargers (2-2)

Sunday, 4:05 PM EDT (CBS)

Buffalo doesn’t play these teams and right now the Broncos are just ahead of the Chargers for the final wild card slot. That would change if Los Angeles wins this weekend — which could become important if the Bills drop their third straight game Monday night. But they’re playing the Chiefs, which means Bills fans should want them both to lose. Since that’s impossible, the Broncos’ win over the Jets could come into play if New York and Buffalo split their head-to-head meetings this year. And are fixed at the end of the season.

Las Vegas Raiders (2-3) vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (3-2)

Sunday, 4:05 PM EDT (CBS)

This one is pretty simple. The Steelers and the Bills have the same record. The Raiders are one game behind. If Buffalo wins, a Steelers loss would create some room in case of future mishaps.

New York Giants (2-4) vs. Cincinnati Bengals (1-4)

Sunday, 8:20 PM EDT (NBC)

While the Bengals are sneaky, this isn’t the first time they’ve started the year terribly just to rally and make a run for a top spot in the AFC. As such, keeping them resigned to catching up is a good thing. Additionally, a loss in Cincinnati will make Baltimore’s win over the Bengals last week look much less impressive for the Ravens, and will weaken their win scores and strength of schedule.

Other Games and How They Affect the Buffalo Bills

These games are all NFC in-conference matchups. While they have little effect on Buffalo’s position, they do have some – directly or indirectly. So here’s the rest of the NFL Week 6 schedule and how these remote games could impact the Bills at the end of the season.

Arizona Cardinals (2-3) vs. Green Bay Packers (3-2)

Sunday — 1:00 PM EDT (FOX)

With the Bills having already played and defeated the Cardinals, a win for Arizona would boost Buffalo’s strength of winning. That’s it. That’s the whole reason this game even matters to Buffalo.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-2) over New Orleans Saints (2-3)

Sunday – 1:00 PM EDT (FOX)

This is based solely on the possibility of the Bills being tied with the Chiefs at the end of the season. While that seems like a very unlikely scenario at this point, it has been a thought in recent seasons. To make this matchup even less of a factor is the fact that Buffalo and Kansas City would have to tie their Week 11 matchup for the strength of the win to matter to them. But this is week 6, so let’s play with all those possibilities, no matter how remote. In that case, the Chiefs’ win over the Saints last week wouldn’t look great if New Orleans failed to get any more wins.

Detroit Lions (3-1) vs. Dallas Cowboys (3-2)

Sunday – 4:25 PM EDT (FOX)

Besides the Lions being Buffalo’s friendly neighbors and lending them their dome when the Bills couldn’t get into Highmark Stadium in the middle of a snowstorm two seasons ago, this has a direct impact on Detroit. The Lions and the Bills face each other in Week 15. Moreover, it is quite easy for Bills Mafia to take on the Cowboys.

Carolina Panthers (1-4) over Atlanta Falcons (3-2)

Sunday – 4:25 PM EDT (FOX)

As above, this game means nothing after Week 11. But exploring all possibilities, it’s technically possible that the Chiefs’ win over the Falcons in January could play a role. Although Kansas City also plays the Panthers later this season, we know they have already defeated Atlanta. So, root for the Chiefs’ wins to mean less. Until the Bills bye week – then it’s very, very doubtful this game even mattered.

NFL teams on BYE

If everything went in the Buffalo Bills’ favor this weekend, nothing would change in the AFC East other than giving the Bills a two-game lead plus the early tiebreaker. That said, the Bills could also move up one spot in the conference standings. A Buffalo win and a loss to Baltimore and the Bills would take over the three-seed spot.

Here’s what the AFC Playoff picture would look like if all the rebounds went Buffalo’s way this weekend:

Kansas City Chiefs (5-0)
Houston Texans (4-2)
Buffalo notes (4-2)
Baltimore Ravens (3-3)
Denver Broncos (4-2)
Pittsburgh Steelers (3-3)
Las Vegas Raiders (3-3)
Los Angeles Chargers (2-3)
Tennessee Titans (2-3)
Miami Dolphins (2-3) * thanks to a bye this week
New York Jets (2-4)
New England Patriots (2-4)
Jacksonville Jaguars (2-4)
Indianapolis Colts (2-4)
Cleveland Browns (1-5)
Cincinnati Bengals (1-5)

So now we know who to root for, who to root against, and which games to keep an eye on this weekend. Obviously some matches are virtually meaningless in today’s standings, but it’s never too early to start making plans for January.

Go Bills!