2024 playoffs: How the Bills can earn the top seed in the AFC

2024 playoffs: How the Bills can earn the top seed in the AFC

The Buffalo Bills, as the winners of the AFC East, will host at least one home playoff game in 2024.

While time is running short for the Bills to earn a bye in the first round of the playoffs, there is still a chance for Buffalo to claim the No. 1 spot in the AFC.

Buffalo (11-3) sits in second place in the playoff picture, two games behind the Kansas City Chiefs (13-1).

However, the Chiefs lone loss on the season was at the hands of Buffalo. Because of this, the Bills hold the tiebreaker against Kansas City, if the teams were to end up with the same record at the end of the season.

Buffalo could land the No. 1 seed by winning the remainder of their games and getting some help from a few AFC counterparts.

The first part of the equation should be the easier component for Buffalo. They finish the season with two games against the New England Patriots (3-11) and a home game against the New York Jets (4-10). While their AFC East foes would love to play spoiler in the Bills playoff plans, it seems like quite a longshot. Buffalo is the superior team and will be heavily favored in all three of these games.

Kansas City’s schedule is a bit more difficult. The Chiefs will face three teams vying for division titles and/or playoff spots. In Week 16, Kansas City will host Houston (9-5). In Week 17, the Chiefs travel to Pittsburgh on Christmas. In Week 18, Kansas City will trek to Denver to close out the season.

To claim the No. 1 seed, Buffalo will need to win their final three games and hope for Kansas City to lose two of their final three contests.

For the next few weeks, Bills fans will be cheering for the Texans, Steelers, and Broncos. The No. 1 seed, while in the distance, is still on the Bills radar.

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