That was a better outcome than the week before. It wasn’t easy getting there, but the Buffalo Bills outlasted the Los Angeles Rams on Monday night to keep their hold on the top spot in the AFC East — something they were in danger of losing after the New England Patriots took down the Las Vegas Raiders the day before. Now it’s the Bills’ turn to face the Raiders on Sunday afternoon in Las Vegas.
Despite the win, the Bills slipped to the AFC’s fourth seed. The Kansas City Chiefs hold the top spot thanks
to a bye week and no chance to lose. Baltimore, Jacksonville, and Buffalo all sit at 4-1, but only the Bills have a division loss, putting them on the bottom rung of that ladder.
Here’s a look at how the conference stands right now:
- Kansas City Chiefs (4-0)
- Baltimore Ravens (4-1)
- Jacksonville Jaguars (4-1)
- Buffalo Bills (4-1)
- New England Patriots (3-2)
- Denver Broncos (3-2)
- Las Vegas Raiders (3-2)
- Cleveland Browns (3-2)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (3-2)
- Cincinnati Bengals (3-2)
- New York Jets (2-3)
- Indianapolis Colts (2-3)
- Houston Texans (1-4)
- Miami Dolphins (0-5)
- Los Angeles Chargers (0-5)
- Tennessee Titans (0-5)
So, we know we’re rooting for Buffalo, but there are plenty of other games around the league — most of them before the Bills kick off. Let’s take a look at this week’s rooting interests and see where we might be able to get a little help.
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AFC East
Buffalo Bills at Las Vegas Raiders
Root: Bills
It’s not like you needed to be told to root for here. The Bills need to keep winning, especially with New England refusing to go away. A win in Las Vegas would move Buffalo to 5-1 and keep them in control of the AFC East. And after watching what the Patriots did to the Raiders last week, there’s no reason Buffalo shouldn’t be able to take care of business. Go Bills!
New York Jets at New England Patriots
Root for: Jets
Yes, we’re rooting for the Jets. New England is sitting just behind Buffalo in the division, and the Patriots have already benefited from the Bills’ loss to Baltimore. A Jets victory would give Buffalo some breathing room in the AFC East. We don’t have to like these New York imposters. We just need them to win one football game.
Miami Dolphins — Bye
The Dolphins are still looking for their first win, and they won’t be getting it this week. At 0-5, Miami isn’t exactly threatening Buffalo’s division lead, so we can enjoy a week without having to think much about them.
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Rest of the AFC
Seattle Seahawks at Denver Broncos
Root for: Seahawks
Denver is another AFC team we’d rather see collecting losses than wins. Seattle is an NFC opponent, making this a fairly easy choice. A Broncos loss helps keep another potential playoff contender from gaining ground.
Houston Texans at Jacksonville Jaguars
Root for: Texans
Jacksonville is currently sitting above Buffalo in the conference standings, and that’s reason enough to want the Jaguars to lose. Houston is a division rival for the Jags, so a Texans victory would also tighten up the AFC South race. Plus, a second win for Houston will bolster the Bills strength of victory score.
Baltimore Ravens at Cleveland Browns
Root for: Browns
Baltimore is currently sitting ahead of Buffalo in the AFC standings, so we need the Ravens to start collecting some extra losses. A Cleveland win would knock Baltimore down to 4-2 and give the Bills a chance to move ahead of them in the conference standings. And since it’s a division game, there’s always the possibility of an upset.
Tennessee Titans at Indianapolis Colts
Root for: Titans
Indianapolis is the bigger concern in the AFC playoff picture, so we’ll take a Tennessee victory here. The Titans haven’t given us much reason to expect one, but that doesn’t mean we can’t ask. Every loss for a potential AFC wild-card competitor is useful. And, don’t forget, it would be helpful if the bottom feeder AFC teams were slightly better than the bottom feeder NFC teams when draft time rolls around next Spring.
Pittsburgh Steelers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Root for: Buccaneers
Another easy AFC-versus-NFC decision. Pittsburgh is coming off a win over Indianapolis, and we’d prefer the Steelers not start building momentum of their own. Tampa Bay can help by sending them home with another loss.
Los Angeles Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs
Root for: Chargers
Kansas City got to sit at home last week and watch everyone else play football. Now it’s time for the Chiefs to put that undefeated record on the line. The Chargers are also an AFC playoff contender, but Kansas City currently holds the conference’s top seed. We’re going to need someone to knock the Chiefs off that perch, and a division rival seems like a good place to start. Plus, I’m done rooting for KC – I hope I don’t have to again this season.
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NFC
Chicago Bears at Atlanta Falcons
Root for: Bears
Buffalo hosts Chicago in December, so we’d like the Bears to start putting some more wins on their record before they make that trip. Chicago winning helps the Bills’ strength of schedule, and if Buffalo beats the Bears later this season, those victories will count toward strength of victory, too. The Bears are coming off a rough loss to Green Bay, so let’s hope they can bounce back against Atlanta.
Arizona Cardinals at Los Angeles Rams
Root for: Rams
Buffalo just picked up a win over the Rams on Monday night. Now we’d like Los Angeles to start winning again, because every Rams victory makes Buffalo’s win look a little better in the strength-of-victory calculation. We wanted the Rams to lose last week. This week, we’re happy to cheer them on.
Dallas Cowboys at Green Bay Packers
Root for: Packers
Green Bay is another team Buffalo has on the schedule, with the Bills headed to Lambeau Field in December. That means we’d like the Packers to keep winning between now and then. A Green Bay victory helps Buffalo’s strength of schedule, and if the Bills can beat the Packers later this season, all those wins become part of Buffalo’s strength-of-victory calculation. So, as much as it might pain some of us, we’re pulling for the Packers on Sunday night.
Washington Commanders at San Francisco 49ers
Root for: Commanders
San Francisco is still undefeated, so we’re going to pull for Washington to change that. Neither team is on Buffalo’s schedule, so there isn’t much at stake for the Bills in this one. But there’s no reason to help another conference’s top team stay perfect.
Carolina Panthers at Philadelphia Eagles
Root for: Panthers
Philadelphia has already lost to Jacksonville, and we’d be perfectly happy to see the Eagles take another loss. Carolina winning also keeps an NFC contender from getting too comfortable. But, there’s really no reason to get too worked up over this game.
New Orleans Saints at New York Giants
Root for: Saints
This one isn’t going to move the AFC standings, and there’s no major reason for Buffalo fans to get worked up about the outcome. We’ll take New Orleans simply because we are tired of the Giants trying to claim they are New Yorkers. Plus, you know, history. But, in all honesty, this is one of those games where we can live with either result.
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Teams on Bye:
Cincinnati Bengals, Detroit Lions, Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings
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The Bills took care of their business Monday night, but the win didn’t move them up the AFC standings. In fact, they dropped a spot. That’s what happens when the teams around you keep winning, too.
This week gives Buffalo a few opportunities to get some help. Baltimore and Jacksonville both have division games, Kansas City has to face the Chargers, and New England gets another chance to put pressure on the AFC East race. There are plenty of results worth watching before the Bills even take the field Sunday afternoon.
Of course, none of that help means much if Buffalo doesn’t beat Las Vegas. So, we’ll spend the early part of Sunday rooting for a few teams we don’t particularly like, before checking in for the only game that really matters.
Go Bills!
