NFL playoff picture: Buffalo Bills leap to top seed in AFC after Chiefs, Dolphins losses

Ryan Miller, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
·3 min read
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The Buffalo Bills didn't play Sunday but they were big winners.

Buffalo entered Week 13 as the No. 5 seed in the AFC. It has catapulted to the top. The Bills now control their own destiny for the division, a first-round bye and home field advantage in the postseason.

The Bills dispatched the New England Patriots, 24-10, on Thursday and were idle Sunday as a quintet of playoff playoff contenders in the conference lost. The Miami Dolphins, the AFC East leader at the beginning of the week, and the Kansas City Chiefs, the conference leader at the beginning of the week, dropped games on the road.

These results were all good news for the Bills:

  • San Francisco 49ers 33, Miami Dolphins 17

  • Cincinnati Bengals 27, Kansas City Chiefs 24

  • Minnesota Vikings 27, New York Jets 22

  • Philadelphia Eagles 35, Tennessee Titans 10

  • Las Vegas Raiders 27, Los Angeles Chargers 20

Buffalo (9-3), which was in third place before its three-game winning streak, is alone in first place in the AFC East after the rest of the division lost. Miami falls to second place at 8-4 and New York is 7-5. New England is in last place with a 6-6 record.

Buffalo lost in Miami, 21-19, in Week 3 but hosts the Dolphins in Week 15.

Buffalo owns the head-to-head tiebreaker against Kansas City (9-3) after defeating the Chiefs 24-20 in Week 6.

Buffalo Bills next five games

Here is Buffalo's remaining schedule:

  • Week 14: vs. New York Jets

  • Week 15: vs. Miami Dolphins

  • Week 16: at Chicago Bears

  • Week 17: at Cincinnati Bengals

  • Week 18: vs. New England Patriots

AFC playoff picture

These would be the AFC seeds if the season ended today. The top seven seeds make the playoffs.

  1. Buffalo Bills: 9-3, 1st AFC East

  2. Kansas City Chiefs: 9-3, 1st AFC West

  3. Baltimore Ravens: 8-4, 1st AFC North

  4. Tennessee Titans: 7-5, 1st AFC South

  5. Cincinnati Bengals: 8-4, 2nd AFC North

  6. Miami Dolphins: 8-4, 2nd AFC East

  7. New York Jets: 7-5, 3rd AFC East

  8. New England Patriots: 6-6, 4th AFC East

  9. Los Angeles Chargers: 6-6, 2nd AFC West

  10. Las Vegas Raiders: 5-7, 3rd AFC West

  11. Cleveland Browns: 5-7, 3rd AFC North

  12. Pittsburgh Steelers: 5-7, 4th AFC North

  13. Indianapolis Colts: 4-7-1, 2nd AFC South

  14. Jacksonville Jaguars: 4-8, 3rd AFC South

  15. Denver Broncos 3-9, 4th AFC West

The Houston Texans have been eliminated.

NFC playoff picture

These would be the NFC seeds if the season ended today. The top seven seeds make the playoffs.

  1. Philadelphia Eagles: 11-1, 1st NFC East

  2. Minnesota Vikings: 10-2, 1st NFC North

  3. San Francisco 49ers: 8-4, 1st NFC West

  4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 5-6, 1st NFC South

  5. Dallas Cowboys: 8-3, 2nd NFC East

  6. New York Giants: 7-4-1, 3rd NFC East

  7. Seattle Seahawks: 7-5, 2nd NFC West

  8. Washington Commanders: 7-5-1, 4th NFC East

  9. Detroit Lions: 5-7, 2nd NFC North

  10. Green Bay Packers: 5-8, 3rd NFC North

  11. Atlanta Falcons: 5-8, 2nd NFC South

  12. Arizona Cardinals: 4-8, 3rd NFC West

  13. Carolina Panthers: 4-8, 3rd NFC South

  14. New Orleans Saints: 4-8, 4th NFC South

  15. Los Angeles Rams: 3-9, 4th NFC West

The Chicago Bears have been eliminated.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: NFL playoff picture: Buffalo Bills take huge leap to top seed in AFC