The Buffalo Bills aren’t officially in the NFL Playoffs just yet, but after picking up their 11th win of the season on Sunday, it’s really just a matter of time. Of course, with the Baltimore Ravens losing on Sunday night to the New England Patriots, the AFC field is becoming much clearer.
As Bills fans have been aware of for the past couple of weeks, that field should theoretically be favorable for Buffalo. Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, and likely Lamar Jackson, will not be in the postseason tournament. Instead, the top-seeded teams have second-year quarterbacks, and the rest of the field, save for Aaron Rodgers in Pittsburgh, don’t have Josh Allen’s playoff resume, even if his has been capped thanks to the aforementioned passers who are already out of the race.
But that doesn’t mean Buffalo is simply going to fly through the postseason on to Super Bowl LX. They have to earn it. And don’t discount those other teams looking at the field and feeling it’s advantageous for them, too.
Of course, Bills fans know they can count on Josh Allen. The question is, if Allen plays his best as he so often does in the postseason, which quarterback in the AFC field this season can actually match him?
Dan Orlovsky names quarterback Buffalo Bills should be watching out for in AFC playoffs
ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky was asked that question on ESPN’s UnSportsmanLike radio show last Thursday, and his answer should catch the Bills Mafia’s attention after the results in Week 16.
“Trevor Lawrence,” Orlovsky said. “Trevor Lawrence, right now, is as hot as anybody. I think what they’ve done with him in Jacksonville, getting him to think less and react more, the freak-azoid athlete… If he continues to play to this level, they can go play and beat anybody.”
That was Orlovsky’s take before Lawrence and the Jaguars waltzed into Denver and beat the top-seeded Broncos by two touchdowns, with Lawrence scoring four total touchdowns. Now the Jags have a chaotic path to the No. 1 seed, and riding a six-game winning streak, they’re one of the hottest teams in the league.
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As things stand now, there’s little chance that the Jaguars and Bills will meet in the Wild Card round, despite that being the current matchup with the Bills at the 6-seed and Jacksonville at the 3-seed. Buffalo will likely be the 5-seed and head to Pittsburgh, assuming the Steelers hold onto the AFC North lead. However, Jacksonville could be lurking at any point beyond that.
The Bills have plenty of issues to work out on their own to keep their championship hopes alive through the postseason, but there is still plenty of confidence in Allen’s abilities in must-win situations. That said, the defense has been inconsistent, so if a quarterback like Lawrence turns in a postseason run that rivals those quarterbacks that aren’t in the field, Buffalo could be looking at the same stories as yesteryear with different faces playing the roles.