Heading into Week 13 of the 2024 NFL season, here is how the Buffalo Bills can clinch the AFC East division this weekend.
The Buffalo Bills (9-2) are riding high these days as they head into Week 13 of the NFL season coming off a bye while also being able to wrap up their division early.
Buffalo is definitely focused on its upcoming matchup against the San Francisco 49ers (5-6), but they could have clinching the AFC East in the back of their mind as well.
The NFL announced there are three different teams that could clinch a playoff spot this coming weekend in the league’s slate of games. One of those teams is the Bills (9-2), assuming that they beat the 49ers on Sunday and the Miami Dolphins (5-6) lose in their Thanksgiving matchup at the Green Bay Packers.
It should be noted that the only way that Buffalo can clinch the AFC East this weekend is if they beat the 49ers and if the Dolphins lose to the Packers on Thursday. If anything other than that happens, they will have to wait another week to clinch their playoff spot that they have played so well for this season.
Assuming that Buffalo does clinch the AFC East at some point this campaign, it would mark a franchise record five-straight seasons as division champs.
The Bills enter Week 13 with the second-best record in the entire AFC, just behind a Kansas City Chiefs team that was handed their first loss of the season by Buffalo.
We’ve got some playoff-clinching scenarios to look out for in Week 13 đ
The @Chiefs can clinch a playoff berth with:
– win on Black Friday vs. LV + MIA loss on Thanksgiving
– OR with a win + DEN loss on MNF
Bills’ Sean McDermott offers injury updates during bye week
During NFL Week 12, the Buffalo Bills enjoy their bye week, offering an opportunity for some rest and extra advance preparation for their next game following a 30-21 home win against the Kansas City Chiefs.
They topped their AFC rival without several key starters including middle linebacker Matt Milano (bicep tear), wide receiver Keon Coleman (wrist), tight end Dalton Kincaid (knee), offensive lineman Spencer Brown (ankle), and defensive tackle DeWayne Carter (wrist) who were out with injuries.
Next up the team will host the San Francisco 49ers at Highmark Stadium, and fans and media members have been wondering which players might return to the field in that contest.
Milano, who’s missed most of the season so far, has begun to practice again and could see a return to gameplay as early as Week 13. The rookie Coleman as well as second-year pro Kincaid received a positive update by way of ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler in terms of recovery this week.
While he did not definitely say whether the two impact players on offense would be back for the game against the Niners, he did share that neither player’s injury appears to be substantial or long-term.
Buffalo has notably never lost coming out of a bye week under head coach Sean McDermott, a trend they hope will continue and one they hope will extend to the postseason, as they pursue the AFC’s No. 1 playoff seed and first-round bye.
He had good news for the Bills and their fans following Sunday’s win over the Chiefs, sharing that the team didn’t have any new additions to the injury report. And there may be more good news on their existing injured players coming soon, though he made a point to manage expectations.
“There’s this pool of players that they’re kind of tiered as to when we expect to get each one of them back,” McDermott said.
“Again this week being kind of a rehab week for the players that are banged up, the message I’m getting from our training room is âhey we’ll let you know kind of how this week goes and then what that looks like for next weekâ so you know the challenge is not really knowing as we start to game plan a little bit towards the end of this week who’s available, but certainly understand that the trainers need some more time with these guys and you know again it’s kind of like âhey who who are they going to hand us on Monday? Are we to get one player? Two players? More? Less what we have? So we just got to kind of take it one day at a time here, big picture coming out of the game without any serious injuries.”
They still have some challenges ahead in the remaining six contests on the regular season schedule, including road games against the Los Angeles Rams and Detroit Lions right after the 49ers matchup.
But with a healthy roster, the Bills could make a push into the postseason and potentially lock up the No. 1 seed, allowing them to get even healthier headed into the playoffs.
GMFB’s Peter Schrager: No one made ‘louder statement’ last week than Bills (video)
NFL Networkâs “Good Morning Football” roundtable conversation on Monday following the Week 11 slate of games around the league included a take on which club among them made the “loudest statement”.
Analyst Peter Schrager chose the Bills following their 30-21 win over the Chiefs. He was complimentary of head coach Sean McDermott and pointed out that this regular season win over Kansas City felt different than past ones.
“I don’t think anyone made a louder statement made in the league than what the Bills did yesterday against the Chiefs,” Schrager said the morning after the matchup.
The contest that saw the teamsâ final scores roughly on average for the season so far also had significant takeaways on and off the field.
But the biggest one belonged to Buffalo linebacker, Terrel Bernard.
With 1:07 left to play in the fourth quarter, the Billsâ defensive captain and play caller took away a Patrick Mahomes pass intended for Kansas City tight end and MGMT âElectric Feelâ fan Travis Kelce for an end-game interception.
The entire Buffalo defense ran down to celebrate with him in the end zone after getting in front of Kelce to grab the ball out of the air.
âThe main thing is just having awareness of him, â Bernard said about covering the Chiefs TE to WIVB. “Pre, post-snap, trying to get guys around him as much as possible, playing within our scheme and our system still but understanding heâs going to be one of the first options every pass play.”
It was the second interception for KCâs Mahomes, whose first and last throws in Sundayâs game were caught by Buffalo.
Bernard, who was out during the last meeting between the clubs in Januaryâs divisional round of the playoffs, also had eight tackles and a sack on the day to go with the big-time turnover.
âI think having that awareness, [defensive coordinator] Bobby [Babich] did a great job in the gameplan, all the coaches did, putting him in our minds all week and knowing where he was at and where he was going to be, what he likes to do in certain spots. I think that was a huge factor, and everybody playing to the details of the defense.â
Everything has changed for Kelce since his last matchups against the Bills in which he seemed unstoppable.
He may just want to shake it off, knowing all too well that Bernard and the Bills defense held him to only two catches for eight yards receiving.
But with the win the Bills now have a better shot at a No. 1 seed and a first-round bye, the Chiefs do as well although they are not out of the woods yet.
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid was complimentary of the Bills when asked what his takeaways off the field were from the loss.
“Things you can learn, the main thing is that they’re a good team and, if you have a few mistakes in there, they can capitalize on them,” Reid said.
The teams could face off again in the postseason, and time will tell which club will play host to the other if they do.
Bills’ Josh Allen plays it cool after Chiefs: ‘It’s another Week 11 win’
Buffalo beat Kansas City in exciting fashion on Sunday.
The club topped the Chiefs 30-21 at home in Orchard Park in front of Bills Mafia on the same field where KC ended its postseason run last year.
Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen put his superhero cape on for the Bills offense when it mattered most, breaking tackles and shaking off defenders for a 26-yard touchdown run on 4th-and-2 with 2:17 left in the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach.
After the game ended thanks to a win-sealing interception by Terrel Bernard on defense, Allen was asked about his scoring play by CBS sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson.
âYeah, appreciate Coach McDermott for trusting the offense going out there,â he said. âWe had a man play, they dropped out to zone and they had something good for it. I was just trying to make a play and help our team win a football game. You know, some things we need to clean up, some throws I wish I had back, but we’re going into the bye week 9-2…we’ll take it.â
Allen was sacked zero times for the first time against Kansas City since the 2021 regular season, and the team put up their 30 points without key players on offense in receiver Keon Coleman, tight end Dalton Kincaid, and offensive tackle Spencer Brown.
He finished the day Sunday 27-for-40 with 262 yards, a touchdown, and an interception passing to go with another 55 ground yards with the TD.
The scoring rush was his latest in a career highlight reel of making little-to-no/probability plays.
In fact, per NFL Next Gen Stats, there was only a 1.2% chance of scoring a touchdown on the play once he tucked the ball to run.
On 4th & 2 with 2:27 left in regulation, Josh Allen dropped back before breaking off a 26-yard TD run.
Allen had just a 1.2% chance of scoring a touchdown once he tucked the ball to run. It was Allen’s first scramble TD run against the Chiefs in his career.
The Bills hosted their AFC rivals for their fifth regular-season meeting with the QB under center.
The club is now 4-1 in those matchups, becoming the only team in the NFL to log four victories against Chiefs QB and State Farm insurance enthusiast, Patrick Mahomes.
The squad improves to 9-2 overall headed into their bye week. Itâs the franchiseâs first time at 9-2 since the 1992 NFL season.
The Bills have treated division games as “counting double” but had previously struggled to translate that in conference matchups that could have a bearing on No. 1 seeding and a first-round bye come playoff time.
But not this time.
The final points were roughly on average for what the two teams have put up throughout this season thus far, and it was the Chiefsâ first time giving up more than 28 points in 31 games and the first time allowing 30 points on offense since 2022.
And while Buffalo continues to have success against Kansas City during the regular season, Allen knows they need to beat them in the playoffs and spoke to that while answering whether it was just another Week 11 win for Buffalo.
âIt is, it’s another Week 11 win,â he added. âKnowing how things usually play out we’ll probably see this team again at some point. We’ve got to get there first so like I said, we’ll enjoy this bye week and go into the next week after that and put together a good game plan and try to go 1-0.â
Bills’ Josh Allen says teammates ‘stepped up’ vs. Colts
A win is a win.
It wasn’t pretty, but the Bills won in all three phases 30-20 on the road against the Colts in Indianapolis.
Buffalo got the job done despite turning the ball over multiple times, which left much to improve upon.
Few knew that better than quarterback Josh Allen.
“Weâve got to have a faster start. We didnât play our best today, but weâll take the win,” the QB said. “Four forced turnovers â weâve got to hold onto the ball a little bit better. Weâll take them how we can get them, and weâll turn the page tomorrow.”
Allen would go 23 of 37 for 280 yards in the air with 50 yards on the ground.
He also threw a pair of interceptions, putting him at four in the span of the last three games after a stellar start to the year in which he didn’t throw any at all in his first seven contests.
“Guys stepping up, knowing they’re knowing their job, knowing their assignment, and going out there and executing can be cleaner,” he added. “That’s that’s me. So again, just making sure we’re communicating well, and just try again, just trying to hold on to the football. And, you know, we got to play better on offense.”
Playing in front of so many Bills fans in attendance it was practically a home game in the stands, Buffalo was missing receivers Amari Cooper and Keon Coleman. Their scoring got done by way of kicker Tyler Bass’s field goals, along with rushing touchdowns by Allen and starting running back James Cook, and a pick-six interception by corner Taron Johnson.
“Just all hands on deck,” head coach Sean McDermott said to the press postgame. “I mean, what else can you say? I would say (offensive coordinator) Joe (Brady), the (offensive coaching) staff, they didnât flinch. They just kept dialing it up, trying to adjust. I thought the communication at halftime was great by the entire staff.”
This ahead of one of their biggest tests of the season next Sunday, a home game hosting the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs in Orchard Park.
For four-straight games and in seven of their 10 games this season, the Bills have scored 30 points or more, which could matter next week against a Kansas City team that’s only scored that much once this season.
The win against the Colts was the Bills’ first in Indianapolis since 1998, their fifth consecutive win, and they improved to 8-2 overall, their best start since 1993.
And they might possibly have been at 9-1 if not for clock management and playcalling near the end of the club’s matchup against the Houston Texans.
Nonetheless, things remain in perspective for Allen.
“It’s awesome to get eight wins through 10 games. Still got a lot of season left, so we’re not really looking at it as that. It’s just really on to the next one.”
Johnson helped to set the tone for the game on the defensive side of the ball with the big play, but also in his overall performance.
He had three tackles, a sack, one tackle for loss, and two pass deflections as well.
“I’m not sure what he was seeing,” Johnson said of opposing QB Joe Flacco’s read on the pick. “But I’ve seen that play before . . . against a different team, and I played it differently. I mean, we [were] in a different call too. In the game I’ve seen it, I played it differently, and I feel like they were expecting me to play it a different way. And, I took the ball. After that, I scanned the field and took it to the house.
Iâve seen that play before⊠I feel like they were expecting me to play it a different way and took the ball.”
They were also without receivers Keon Coleman and Amari Cooper on offense, so the defense stepped up.
“I know we’re banged up on offense, but the defense came out, and especially in that second half, made a lot of plays, and I feel like that helped us win,” Johnson added.
On the day, the Bills offense had three interceptions total, along with four sacks and two forced fumbles.
Much to the approval of head coach Sean McDermott.
“I thought that the defense and the takeaways was a big time difference in the game, and then also getting momentum back after our turnovers with some key stops and fourth down stops”, McDermott said. “We were able to make them (Colts) one-dimensional, which was important for us. It was a resilient win overall. Very resilient win.”
With Tyler Bass going a perfect six for six, special teams and defense held up their end.
“I think theyâre just a very competitive group,” McDermott added. “They take a lot of pride in not letting each other down.”
WATCH: Week 9 mini movie of Bills win over Dolphins
The Buffalo Bills held off a desperate Miami Dolphins team in Week 9, winning 30-27 on a game-winning field goal from Tyler Bass.
The 61-yard kick (a new franchise record) was the exclamation point on an entertaining, back-and-forth contest between AFC East rivals.
The record-breaking field goal wasn’t the only excitement in the win. Josh Allen threw touchdowns to three different players (Mack Hollins, Ray Davis, Quintin Morris), and Taron Johnson forced a game-altering turnover.
The Bills improved to 7-2 with the win and continue to build on a dominant lead in the AFC East.
Relive the nail-biting divisional win with a ten-minute mini-movie from the Bills’ official YouTube channel:
What we learned from the Bills’ Week 9 win vs. Dolphins
The Buffalo Bills continued their 2024 schedule with a Week 9 win over the Miami Dolphins, 30-27.
The Bills (7-2) needed a full-team effort to fend off a hungry Dolphins team (2-6) trying to turn their season around. Ultimately, it took a long field goal with just seconds on the clock for the Bills to get it done at home.
After two-straight blowout victories, Buffalo certainly were tested by their division rival. As the season unfolds, we are learning more and more about this year’s Bills team.
Here are five things we learned from Week 9âs win over the Dolphins:
Tyler Bass’ morale at an all-time high
Imagn Images
Kicker Tyler Bass played the role of hero for the Bills in Week 9. His 61-yarder with 5 seconds left proved to be the game-winner. It was not only a career-long for Bass, but it broke a Bills franchise record previously held by Steve Christie (59-yarder in 1993).
Given the inconsistency from Bass recently, the kick proved huge for his morale and the team as a whole. After receiving the game ball post-game, Bass got emotional when talking about his teammates having his back through the ups and downs.
Defense was gashed
Getty Images
The Bills defense had a rough outing. Through the air, Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was 25-of-28 and only took one sack. And on the ground, running backs De’Von Achane and Raheem Mostert averaged more than five yards per carry.
If it wasn’t for a couple of red zone stops and a crucial forced fumble from Buffalo cornerback Taron Johnson, we could have a different conversation this week regarding both the Bills and Dolphins.
After all, this was a desperate Dolphins team that has always had the potential to explode on offense. Expect Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott and defensive coordinator Bobby Babich to right the ship on defense going forward.
Ray Davis continues to flash
Getty Images
Running back Ray Davis continues to make the most of his opportunities in his rookie year. On the ground in Week 9, Davis averaged five yards a pop on his four carries. But, his real impact was through the air.
He took two passes for 70 yards, one being a 63-yard catch and run for a touchdown. That’s 90 yards from scrimmage on just six touches.
His long touchdown gave the Bills a seven-point lead late in the third quarter:
Bills quarterback Josh Allen took a couple of big hits and missed a few throws, but ultimately controlled the game throughout. He was 25-of-39 passing for 235 yards and posted three passing touchdowns and one interception.
If it wasn’t for a drop by receiver Keon Coleman deep in the red zone that resulted in an interception, he would have had four touchdowns and zero picks.
He didn’t have to put the cape on and be Superman much, but he did when the offense needed it. He slipped away to scramble for 14 yards on a 3rd and 12 at the end of the first half, and he also made a remarkable touchdown throw to tight end Quintin Morris as he was being tackled by two defenders:
This wasn’t an easy day for the Bills by any means. The Dolphins had their backs against the wall while preparing for it, albeit was just Week 9. It was nearly a must-win game for them, and they played like it.
They had more first downs than the Bills (26-24), more total yards (373-325), more yards per play (6.2-5.5), more time of possession (31:53-28:07), and they converted better in the red zone (3/4-2/5).
Buffalo has grown accustomed to overpowering teams on offense and defense. In this one, they won differently. They only had four penalties, forced a crucial turnover when they needed it, and special teams came through in a big way.
Dolphins’ Jordan Poyer calls hit on Bills’ Keon Coleman ‘clean’
The Bills were charging downfield on offense in the final minutes of their matchup against the Dolphins Sunday, aiming to score the winning points to break a tie and win the game before the end of regulation.
Buffalo did just that, winning 30-27, and a former Bill even helped them get the opportunity for the victory, albeit at a cost.
Bills quarterback Josh Allen and the offense were making their way downfield in the final minutes of the contest after Miami tied the score at 27 when Allen threw a deep pass toward the left sideline targeting rookie receiver Keon Coleman.
While the pass was incomplete, Dolphins safety and former Bill Jordan Poyer, who returned to Orchard Park for the first time since his seven-year run with Buffalo ended, was whistled for a personal foul as he made helmet-to-helmet contact on the play. The flag kept the drive alive and led to Buffalo winning the game on a 61-yard field goal by kicker Tyler Bass.
Poyerâs helmet crown made contact with Coleman’s facemask, and his helmet also came into contact with the rookieâs right hand during the hit as well, and he appeared to motion toward his arm on his way to the sideline after the play.
Per Syracuse.com, Coleman had a brace on his right wrist and left the game late after the injury.
Poyer said postgame that he believed at the time that the play was clean.
“I’m just playing football. I thought it was a clean play, felt like I put my helmet right into his chest,” he said to the press. “I’m just playing football, it’s tough. … What can you do? I don’t know. I had a great post-break, he went up for the ball and I literally didn’t stop my feet. I felt like I hit him where I was supposed to hit him. Apparently, the ref didn’t think so.”
Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel acknowledged that their goal is to play aggressively, though he did not disagree with the penalty call.
“It takes it out of everyoneâs hands when you go helmet to helmet,” McDaniel said. “I didnât see it live, but if there was helmet-to-helmet contact, it is what it is. You have to go strike zone, which is below the neck. So theyâll call that every time if thatâs the case.”
Buffalo was down a receiver as recent trade acquisition Amari Cooper had been ruled out ahead of Sunday’s game with an arm injury of his own.
Coleman has been a top receiver for the Bills this season with 22 catches for 417 total yards and two touchdowns.
