Buffalo Bills' Path to the Playoffs: 3 Likely Scenarios

The Buffalo Bills have been here before. In 2021, the team was sitting at 7 - 6 and written off; however, they proceeded to win four straight, securing not only a playoff spot but winning the division title too. This team has developed a pension for closing out seasons on a win streak. In 2020, they won six straight, in 2021 the Bills won four in a row, and last season was seven straight.

Can they do it again this season? If so, it would be five in a row and I can see it happening. But based on how this season has gone so far, they could just as easily lose these last four. This weekend is going to be a tough matchup for the Bills, and they will have to be on their game. They are capable but is this a must-win situation? I'm not so sure that's the case but we'll get into that later.

Week 14 was a pivotal week for the Bills too and if they make the playoffs, this past week can be looked back on as the turning point and the most vital week for Buffalo. Loses by the Houston Texans, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Indianapolis Colts helped put six teams in a tie with 7 - 6 records. This, followed by the Bills defeating the Kansas City Chiefs and the Miami Dolphins losing on Monday Night against the Tennessee Titans, set the Bills up for a possible epic ending to the regular season.

There are three likely scenarios that get the Buffalo Bills to the playoffs. I'm going to detail each of those in the order of what I think is most likely to happen, but each requires help from other teams. Certain teams need to lose but I'll give you the percentage of the Bills' chances of getting into the tournament under each scenario. All percentages courtesy of the New York Times playoff simulator. Let's get into it now.