NFL playoff picture: Buffalo Bills leap to top seed in AFC after Chiefs, Dolphins losses
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
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.
Buffalo Bills: 9-3, 1st AFC East
Kansas City Chiefs: 9-3, 1st AFC West
Baltimore Ravens: 8-4, 1st AFC North
Tennessee Titans: 7-5, 1st AFC South
Cincinnati Bengals: 8-4, 2nd AFC North
Miami Dolphins: 8-4, 2nd AFC East
New York Jets: 7-5, 3rd AFC East
New England Patriots: 6-6, 4th AFC East
Los Angeles Chargers: 6-6, 2nd AFC West
Las Vegas Raiders: 5-7, 3rd AFC West
Cleveland Browns: 5-7, 3rd AFC North
Pittsburgh Steelers: 5-7, 4th AFC North
Indianapolis Colts: 4-7-1, 2nd AFC South
Jacksonville Jaguars: 4-8, 3rd AFC South
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.
Philadelphia Eagles: 11-1, 1st NFC East
Minnesota Vikings: 10-2, 1st NFC North
San Francisco 49ers: 8-4, 1st NFC West
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 5-6, 1st NFC South
Dallas Cowboys: 8-3, 2nd NFC East
New York Giants: 7-4-1, 3rd NFC East
Seattle Seahawks: 7-5, 2nd NFC West
Washington Commanders: 7-5-1, 4th NFC East
Detroit Lions: 5-7, 2nd NFC North
Green Bay Packers: 5-8, 3rd NFC North
Atlanta Falcons: 5-8, 2nd NFC South
Arizona Cardinals: 4-8, 3rd NFC West
Carolina Panthers: 4-8, 3rd NFC South
New Orleans Saints: 4-8, 4th NFC South
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