Saturday afternoon, Week 18 got underway with the Kansas City Chiefs taking on the Las Vegas Raiders. After the week the Buffalo Bills have had, this was a day that delivered insult to injury.
The Bills are getting set to play a division rival themselves, Sunday, in the New England Patriots. That’s a game in which the Patriots can win and get in, but the Bills would love nothing more than to send them home for the year.
If the Chiefs beat the Raiders, though, then the game doesn’t matter as much for Buffalo.
The Chiefs indeed defeated the Raiders 31-13 to clinch the number 1 seed in the AFC.
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The Buffalo Bills lose out on the no. 1 seed in the AFC with the Kansas City Chiefs defeating the Las Vegas Raiders.
This past Monday night, the Bills and all of the NFL witnessed a nearly fatal and tragic scene when one of their own, safety Damar Hamlin, collapsed on the field. Following Hamlin being rushed to the hospital and having been given CPR to save his life, the rest of the game was postponed for the night.
However, the NFL decided later in the week that they would cancel the game altogether instead of resuming play.
With that decision then came the possibility of the Bills losing out on the top seed in the AFC, should the Chiefs come out victorious over the Raiders — which they did.
The Chiefs now hold a record of 14-3, with the Bills at 12-3 prior to their game against New England. The best Buffalo can finish, now, is 13-3, which gives the Chiefs the higher winning percentage no matter what.
Now, the Bills need to simply win in order to try and clinch the no. 2 seed. If they can do so, and they meet the Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game, then that game would be played at a neutral site, per the new decision from the league office.
It’s an unfortunate way to end the season, after watching the Bills win six games in a row while maintaining the top spot in the AFC. But, Hamlin’s status continues to progress positively and, in the end that’s the most important thing.