The weather wasn’t as bad as some forecasts had predicted, but there was still some snow in Buffalo Saturday. In the end, it was the Bills celebrating with snow angels after Tyler Bass’ walk-off field goal pushed Buffalo past the Miami Dolphins 32-29.
The win clinched a playoff spot for the Bills and kept them atop the AFC at 11-3. It also officially knocked the Jets out of contention in the division race, which was inevitable after the loss to the Bills in Week 14.
AFC East standings through games of Dec. 17
Buffalo Bills 11-3 (3-2 div. record)
Miami Dolphins 8-6 (2-2)
New England Patriots 7-6 (2-2)
New York Jets 7-6 (2-3)
The good news for the Jets is they now are closer to the Dolphins, who fell to 8-6 after their third straight loss. As a result, the Jets can climb back into second place in the division and back into a playoff spot on Sunday.
For that to happen, the Jets need to beat the Lions at home and then hope the Patriots lose in Vegas against the Raiders.
That would put the Jets at 8-6, the Dolphins at 8-6 and the Patriots at 7-7. New York’s Week 5 over Miami would give the edge. If all three teams end the week 8-6, the Patriots would take second place, followed by the Jets and then the Dolphins due to head-to-head. New England is 2-1 against the group, the Dolphins are 1-1 and the Jets are 1-2.
After that, you then go back to the Jets’ win over the Dolphins to give them third place.
So the bottom line is root for the Raiders today.
As far as the wild card race goes, two playoff contenders, including the Dolphins, lost Saturday. The Ravens also lost against the Browns, dropping them to 9-5 and giving the Bengals the division lead entering their game Sunday against the Buccaneers.
AFC Playoff Standings through games of Dec. 17
x-Buffalo Bills 11-3
Kansas City Chiefs 10-3
Cincinnati Bengals 9-4
Tennessee Titans 7-6
Baltimore Ravens 9-5
Miami Dolphins 8-6
New England Patriots 7-6
Los Angeles Chargers 7-6
New York Jets 7-6
Cleveland Browns 6-8
Jacksonville Jaguars 5-8
Las Vegas Raiders 5-8
Pittsburgh Steelers 5-8
Indianapolis Colts 4-9-1
The team to root for at this point here would be the Titans. As of now, the Jets have to get in front of the Chargers, who have a better conference record (LAC 5-4, NYJ 5-5). The Titans are unlikely to lose the AFC South race, despite their recent slump. The Jets will play a factor in that if they keep winning since they host the Jaguars on Thursday. So because of that, the Jets would likely prefer the Titans to win against the Chargers.
So, the simple rooting guide this week:
Jets over Lions
Raiders over Patriots
Titans over Chargers