Rooting interests are easy when it comes to the AFC East: Buffalo wins, everyone else loses. Done.
Unfortunately, the rest of the NFL schedule requires a little more thought — and, this week, at least one rooting interest that might make Bills Mafia feel a little dirty.
Buffalo gets the week started early, hosting the Detroit Lions on Thursday night in the first regular-season game at the new Highmark Stadium. A win gets the Bills to 2-0 and, for at least a couple of days, puts them alone atop the AFC
East.
After that, we go back to our regularly scheduled program of deciding who Bills Mafia should be cheering for — even when it feels very, very wrong.
As we established last week, it is still too early to spend much time trying to predict playoff seeding. Instead, we’re keeping this fairly simple. We want Buffalo’s opponents to win and strengthen the Bills’ strength of schedule. We want teams Buffalo has beaten to keep winning and help with strength of victory. And, whenever possible, we want the rest of the AFC East to lose.
Easy enough, right? Well, mostly.
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AFC EAST
Buffalo Bills over Detroit Lions
We don’t need to make this complicated. Beat Detroit. Get to 2-0. Open the new stadium with a win. Then we can worry about everybody else.
Go Bills!
Pittsburgh Steelers over New England Patriots
This one doesn’t require math. New England is 0-1. Let’s make it 0-2. Yes, the Patriots are a Buffalo opponent, so a New England win would technically help the Bills’ strength of schedule. We don’t care. Some rules outrank other rules.
Green Bay Packers over New York Jets
The Jets are the only other AFC East team that escaped Week 1 with a win, beating Tennessee 23-10. Let’s fix that. Green Bay is also on Buffalo’s schedule later this season, so we get the best of both worlds here: a Bills opponent gets a win, and a division rival gets a loss. Go Pack Go.
San Francisco 49ers over Miami Dolphins
Miami is already 0-1 after losing to Las Vegas. You know the assignment. We could talk about strength of schedule and the fact that Buffalo plays Miami twice. Or we could just root for the Dolphins to start 0-2. We’re choosing the second one.
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The rest of the AFC
Houston Texans over Cincinnati Bengals
Welcome to our first strength-of-victory game.
Buffalo already has a win over Houston, which means every Texans win from here makes that Week 1 victory look a little better. Cincinnati is also an AFC team that could eventually find itself in the conference playoff picture. There are two reasons to want Houston here. Go Texans.
Baltimore Ravens over New Orleans Saints
Here’s where things get a little uncomfortable. Baltimore is absolutely a team we may eventually want losing football games. The Ravens are 1-0, they’re an AFC team, and there is a very reasonable chance we’re talking about them when playoff seeding becomes important.
But Buffalo also plays Baltimore this season. So, for now, we’re sticking with the rule we established in Week 1: build the strength of schedule and sort out the AFC standings when we actually have AFC standings worth sorting out. So, yes, we’re rooting for Baltimore. For now.
Denver Broncos over Jacksonville Jaguars
Denver is on Buffalo’s schedule. Jacksonville isn’t. That’s enough for Week 2. A Broncos win strengthens Buffalo’s schedule, and we’re not yet at the point where we’re worried about Denver’s place in the AFC standings.
Los Angeles Chargers over Las Vegas Raiders
Buffalo plays both teams this season, so there’s no strength-of-schedule advantage either way. That sends us to the AFC standings. Las Vegas is already 1-0, while Los Angeles is 0-1. Let’s spread the wins around rather than let another AFC team get to 2-0. Go Chargers.
Kansas City Chiefs over Indianapolis Colts
Don’t shoot the messenger.
The Bills play Kansas City this season. They don’t play Indianapolis. Therefore, under the rules we established for these early weeks, a Chiefs win is better for Buffalo’s strength of schedule.
Yes, I know. Yes, it feels wrong. No, we don’t have to enjoy it. It is what it is.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers over Cleveland Browns
This one’s easy because Cleveland is AFC. If neither is on Buffalo’s schedule, send the win to the NFC.
Philadelphia Eagles over Tennessee Titans
Same rule. NFC over AFC. Tennessee falling to 0-2 doesn’t hurt us one bit.
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NFC vs NFC games
Los Angeles Rams over New York Giants
Another easy strength-of-schedule choice. The Rams are on Buffalo’s schedule. The Giants aren’t. Go Rams.
Minnesota Vikings over Chicago Bears
Buffalo gets both of these teams this season, so strength of schedule isn’t going to help us pick a side. That means we get to choose this one for ourselves.
Me? I’m going with Minnesota because I’m petty, and all that talk about the Bears’ offense being better than Buffalo’s — hint: it’s not — after Week 1 made me salty. Go Vikings.
Atlanta Falcons over Carolina Panthers
Carolina was one of last year’s division winners. We said we’re rooting against those teams early and keeping them away from another easy path to the playoffs. Both are 0-1, so give Atlanta the win.
Seattle Seahawks over Arizona Cardinals
Both are 1-0, so this is mostly about knocking Arizona off the unbeaten list. Seattle already helped us by beating New England in Week 1, so they can have another one.
Dallas Cowboys over Washington Commanders
Both are irrelevant to Buffalo’s SOS, but Washington made the playoffs last year while Dallas didn’t. Stick with our Week 1 philosophy: knock down last year’s contenders and let the teams that were out of it take the wins.
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Some of these picks required a little more work than others, but that’s what happens in Week 2. There aren’t playoff scenarios to sort through yet, so we’re working with what we have — strength of schedule, strength of victory, the early AFC standings, and, occasionally, a little pettiness.
For now, the formula remains pretty simple: Buffalo wins, the rest of the AFC East loses, and future opponents pile up victories whenever they aren’t playing Buffalo.
Even if that means rooting for Kansas City. Again, don’t shoot the messenger.
