Next weekend’s Week 18 game against the New England Patriots is completely pointless for the Buffalo Bills. All that they need to do is just get to Foxborough and leave as healthy as possible. With the Bills defeating the Jets in Week 17, they locked up the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoff picture.
No matter the result of their Week 18 game, whether they win by a lot or lose by a lot, the Bills can’t go any higher or lower in the playoff picture. However, there are some implications on the line for the Patriots. If New England loses to Buffalo, they will lock up the first overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Even though the Patriots are going through a rebuild, it is still weird to think that they could control the start of the draft.
The biggest thing that Bills fans need to be on the lookout for his which team will be coming to Orchard Park in the first round of the playoffs. According to Albert Breer, there are three possibilities that could happen that could very well show Bills fans who could be coming to Buffalo in the wild card round.
With one spot left in the AFC playoff picture, there are three teams that have a shot at getting the final spot. It will be between the Denver Broncos, Miami Dolphins, and Cincinnati Bengals.
If the Broncos defeat the Kansas City Chiefs next week, they are automatically in. If the Broncos lose and the Dolphins defeat the New York Jets, then the Dolphins are in. Finally, if both the Broncos and Dolphins lose and the Cincinnati Bengals defeat the Steelers, then the Bengals are in the playoffs. In addition, if all three teams lose in Week 18, then the Broncos would get the final spot.
The Dolphins win, get to 8-8.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) December 30, 2024
One AFC playoff spot left. Here's the deal ...
• Broncos beat Chiefs, they're in.
• Broncos lose, Dolphins beat Jets, Miami's in.
• Broncos and Dolphins lose, Bengals beat Steelers, Cincy's in.
• All three lose, Broncos are in.
Buffalo Bills are set to host a difficult first-round opponent
No matter what team gets the final spot, the Bills could easily be hosting the toughest last-seed team. The Denver Broncos might be the biggest surprise of the league. The Dolphins have come back from a deep hole to make a run at the playoffs, and Joe Burrow and the Bengals have one of the best offenses that no one talks about because of how they started their season.
Out of all these three teams, the best matchup for the Bills in the first round would be the Dolphins just because they are a divisional opponent and Buffalo knows how to beat them. If not Miami, then Buffalo could end up facing a very tough Denver defense, or a Bengals offense that has already beaten the Bills in the playoffs once.