The Buffalo Bills aren’t in their usual spot at this point in the season. Despite their 35-31 comeback victory over the New England Patriots last Sunday, Buffalo still sits in second place in the AFC East with the slimmest of chances to get back in first place.
Nonetheless, Buffalo has carried a high-percentage chance of securing a Wild Card spot since the race began taking shape. It’s not the most comfortable of circumstances for Bills fans, who have enjoyed five straight seasons as the division leader and hosting at least one postseason game.
That’s set to change this year, with a Wild Card berth being all but certain. But first things first, the Bills have to officially secure their spot in the postseason, which they can finally do this week.
What needs to happen for Buffalo Bills to lock up a playoff spot this week
The NFL released its Week 16 clinching scenarios Tuesday morning, giving Buffalo a clear path to earning its spot in the NFL Playoffs. The Bills need a win over Cleveland this week and either the Indianapolis Colts or Houston Texans to lose or tie their matchups. Otherwise, the Bills can tie the Browns and still clinch a spot with a Colts or Texans loss.
Nine teams can clinch playoff spots this week — and the Broncos can clinch the AFC’s No. 1 seed. pic.twitter.com/eDdL8mXK5m
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) December 16, 2025
As for those other matchups, the Colts have a tougher draw of the two AFC South Wild Card contenders. Indianapolis plays the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football next week, with 44-year-old Philip Rivers set to make his second start for the team after coming out of retirement last week.
Meanwhile, the Texans host the lowly Las Vegas Raiders, who were shut out in Philadelphia last week with Kenny Pickett under center for the first time this season.
Anything can happen in the NFL, but certainly it’s much more likely for the Colts to fall to the 49ers, which means Bills fans will likely be waiting until the final moments of Monday night to learn if Buffalo’s spot in the postseason is officially secured.
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Of course, that’s assuming the Bills handle business themselves against the Browns. Cleveland has lost three straight, but has had varying degrees of offensive success since turning to Shadeur Sanders at quarterback. The bigger threat, though, is the Browns’ defense, led by NFL sack leader Myles Garrett, who is eyeing the NFL’s single-season sack record this week, just 1.5 sacks away from setting the new mark.