Bills' Rooting Guide for NFL Playoff Implications of Week 18
No team enters Week 18 with a wider range of outcomes than the Buffalo Bills.
Depending on how the games in the final week of the season break, the Bills could wind up being the No. 2 seed in the AFC or they could wind up eliminated from the field entirely.
The Bills season has certainly been a rollercoaster ride so its fitting that they enter the final week with such uncertainty. At one point they were 5-5 with a tough schedule ahead, but the Bills circled the wagons and are now 10-6 going into a huge Sunday Night Football matchup with the Miami Dolphins.
If they win it, they'll be the No. 2 seed. That's obviously the optimal path, but the Bills faithful will have a lot of football to watch before that game kicks off.
Here are the games that the Bills will have particular interest in and the results they should be hoping for.
Ravens over Steelers
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The Bills might not even have to wait until Sunday to clinch a playoff spot. The Steelers and Ravens will meet on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET and a Ravens win would clinch a playoff spot for the Bills.
If this were a normal regular season contest, the Bills could feel pretty confident that the Ravens would come through for them. Unfortunately, Baltimore already has the No. 1 seed locked down and they don't have much reason to play their starters.
As it stands, they have a fairly full injury report and have already ruled out Lamar Jackson, Odell Beckham Jr. and Kevin Zeitler.
That means Tyler Huntley will get the start for the Ravens. Huntley has started eight games for the Ravens over the last four seasons and has gone 3-5 as the starter.
Meanwhile, the Steelers have plenty of motivation and should be playing all of their starters. They need to beat the Ravens and they'll only need a Buffalo or Jacksonville loss to clinch a playoff spot.
The Steelers appear to be figuring things out just in time to make the playoff field too. After going 1-5 in a six-game stretch with very little offense, Mason Rudolph has taken over at quarterback and the Steelers have scored 68 points in back-to-back wins.
Titans over Jaguars
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The second option that would clinch a Bills playoff spot is a Titans win over the Jaguars. The two AFC South teams will meet at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday with Jacksonville traveling to Nashville.
At one point, the Jaguars were 8-3 and appeared to be running away with the AFC South, now they are in a must-win game. The Texans and Colts also have a shot at winning the division so the stakes couldn't be higher for them.
Fortunately for the Bills, it's pretty tough to trust the Jaguars right now. They snapped a four-game losing streak against the Carolina Panthers, but that's not saying much. The Panthers already have the worst record in the league clinched and are playing under an interim head coach.
Trevor Lawrence's availability is also up in the air. He has missed the a game for the first time in his career last week with a shoulder injury. He's beginning to throw in practice but that's not a great place to be this close to the game.
C.J. Beathard could get the start for the Jags, giving the Bills even more hope that they'll fall to the Titans.
The Titans are dealing with their own uncertainty at quarterback, though. Will Levis has been a limited participant in practice with a foot injury and the Titans are on a three-game skid to end the season.
Still, the Titans could have the advantage in a potential battle of backup quarterbacks. The Titans will be able to turn to Ryan Tannehill if Levis is unable to go.
Texans and Colts Tie
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Welcome to the most unlikely scenario. The Bills are going to have to get really specific with their rooting interests for the Saturday night game.
The Texans and Colts game ending in a tie is the third result that would give them a playoff berth. Ties aren't all that common in the league, but we just might be due. There were two last season, including a Texans-Colts matchup, but there haven't been any this year.
The Colts won the first matchup this season. C.J. Stroud had 384 yards through the air but it was in a failed comeback bid. The Colts were up 28-10 at halftime but Anthony Richardson left the game with a concussion and the Texans climbed back into it.
A lot has changed since then. Richardson has been out for most of the season and Gardner Minshew has had plenty of time to jell as the starter. Both teams have earned a 9-7 record with varying levels of success throughout the season.
A tie is still unlikely, but it's two evenly-matched teams.
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