Buffalo Bills Week 7 rooting interests

Well, that makes two tough weekends in a row with games reminiscent of the Drought Era rather that part of the Josh Allen Experience. It would appear that maybe, indeed, the sky is falling. At least this

week. Bills Mafia needs this bye week as much as the Buffalo Bills themselves do. A weekend to root for or, more importantly, against some teams outside Western New York. A whole extra week to recover — or stew, whichever you prefer. A week to play the “If I was the GM” game.

Of course, while the 2025 Bills were looking more like the 2005 vintage, plenty of other AFC teams were winning. The result? In two weeks, Buffalo has gone from being the top seed in the AFC to losing control of their own division and sitting in a Wild Card spot. The Chiefs have managed to work their way back to looking relevant, and the Patriots appear to be a contender and are on top of the AFC East. (I told you it looks like the Drought Era right now). It’s a good thing the regular season didn’t end this week and that there’s still plenty of football left to play before January.

So, with all that in mind, here’s a look at what the standings look like before we begin a weekend full of big games.  

AFC East 

1. New England Patriots (4-2) 
2. Buffalo Bills (4-2) 
3. Miami Dolphins (1-5)
4. New York Jets (0-6)  

AFC Playoff Picture heading into Week 7

1. Indianapolis Colts (5-1)
2. Pittsburgh Steelers (4-1)
3. Los Angeles Chargers (4-2) 
4. New England Patriots (4-2)
5. Buffalo Bills (4-2)
6. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-2)
7. Denver Broncos (4-2)
8. Kansas City Chiefs (3-3)
9.  Houston Texans (2-3)
10.  Cincinnati Bengals (2-4)
11. Las Vegas Raiders (2-4) 
12. Baltimore Ravens (1-5)
13. Miami Dolphins (1-5) 
14. Cleveland Browns (1-5)
15. Tennessee Titans (1-5)
16. New York Jets (0-6) 

So with Buffalo getting the early season Bye Week, at least we know they can’t lose on Sunday. Here’s a look at who to root for in Week 7 in hopes of beginning to right this ship for when the Bills finally play football again.

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AFC East Week 7 Bills rooting interests

Cleveland Browns (1-5) over Miami Dolphins (1-5), Sunday 1 p.m. EDT (CBS) 

The Dolphins are self-destructing in South Florida. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is blaming leadership. Head coach Mike McDaniel sounds like he checked out before the season even began. Whatever’s going wrong in Miami, things aren’t much better in Cleveland (and secretly all of Buffalo is gloating just a little as Myles Garrett decided to stay on that side of Lake Erie after courting Bills Mafia during the offseason). Someone has to win this game — well, maybe not (ask the Green Bay Packers about that one) — and with Buffalo’s recent fall, let’s keep everyone else in the division as far away as possible.

Carolina Panthers (3-2) over New York Jets (0-6), Sunday 1 p.m. EDT (Fox) 

Keeping the Jets winless and in the basement of the AFC East is really just the bonus side effect of how we want to see this game to play out. With the Panthers hosting the Bills in Week 8, not having them on a “need to right our own ship” tour would be good. A Jets win would help Buffalo’s SOV score, but barely. However, should Carolina have a winning record and then fall in Week 8, it would be a big boost in that same category.

Tennessee Titans (1-5) over New England Patriots (4-2), Sunday 1 p.m. EDT (CBS)

It feels like it would take a miracle for the Titans to defeat the Patriots, but Bills fans know all too well that the Music City is known for those. Plus, the Titans have a new head coach this week, so maybe the players will rally around him and bring the Patriots back down to Earth. Should they pull it off, then the Bills would be back in first place in the AFC East by Monday. So, Titan Up!

Week 7 games that impact the Bills

Cincinnati Bengals (2-4) over Pittsburgh Steelers (4-1), Thursday 8:15 p.m. EDT (Prime Video)

The Steelers hold the AFC’s two seed thanks to having a bye last week. While there are five AFC teams sitting at 4-2, including Buffalo, Pittsburgh dropping a game to join them would be better than them rising in the conference ranks. The Bills play the Steelers way down the road in Week 13, so if they were to still be tied, Buffalo can control their own fate — but not if Pittsburgh gets ahead early in the count.

Los Angeles Rams (4-2) over Jacksonville Jaguars (4-2), Sunday 9:30 a.m. EDT (NFL Network) 

With the Jaguars just one slot behind the Bills in the Playoff Picture, a Jacksonville loss will keep them there. Right now, Buffalo can’t count on anything, so all the extra help in keeping anyone from leap-frogging over them in the conference standings is welcomed.

Las Vegas Raiders (2-4) over Kansas City Chiefs (3-3), Sunday 1 p.m. EDT (CBS) 

The Chiefs started their annual climb back to the top of the AFC last week. Before Week 6 they were three spots out of the Playoff Picture. Right now, they are just a win away from claiming a Wild Card spot. Given time, they will challenge the Chargers for the AFC West crown. At this point, I think all NFL fans have come to realize that it’s inevitable. However, delaying that move until the Bills are back on the right track would be nice.

New York Giants (2-4) over Denver Broncos (4-2), Sunday 4:05 p.m. EDT (CBS) 

The Broncos and Bills currently have the same record. A Denver win would push them ahead of Buffalo (unless New England loses), at least temporarily. While keeping the Broncos ahead of the Chiefs is a nice thought, we can hope that both Denver and Kansas City don’t have good weekends. Thinning out the bottleneck of teams with the same record as the Bills would be advantageous.

Los Angeles Chargers (4-2) over Indianapolis Colts (5-1), Sunday 4:05 p.m. EDT (CBS)

I know, I know. I just said that we should hope to thin out the bottleneck at the 4-2 mark, yet here I am rooting for one of those teams to win while the Bills are on bye. But with the Colts holding the AFC’s top seed, it would be a bigger benefit if they lost. After all, when Buffalo comes back and wins in Week 8, finding a bottleneck at the top of the standings is much better than one in the middle of the pack.

The rest of the NFL Week 7 Bills rooting interests  

New Orleans Saints (1-5) over Chicago Bears (3-2)
Philadelphia Eagles (4-2) over Minnesota Vikings (3-2)
Atlanta Falcons (3-2) over San Francisco 49ers (4-2)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-1) over Detroit Lions (4-2)
Houston Texans (2-3) over Seattle Seahawks (4-2)

Games that don’t affect the Bills 
Green Bay Packers (3-1-1) over Arizona Cardinals (2-4)
Washington Commanders (3-3) at Dallas Cowboys (2-3-1)

Teams on Bye
Buffalo Bills, Baltimore Ravens

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Optimistic AFC standings after Week 7 

So, if all the bounces go the Bills’ way and all the right teams win, this is what the standings in the AFC would look like on Tuesday morning:

1. Los Angeles Chargers (5-2) 
2. Indianapolis Colts (5-2)
3. Buffalo Bills (4-2)
4. Pittsburgh Steelers (3-3)
5. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-3)
6. Denver Broncos (4-3) 
7. Houston Texans (3-3)
8. New England Patriots (3-4)
9. Kansas City Chiefs (3-4)
10. Cincinnati Bengals (3-4)
11. Las Vegas Raiders (3-4) 
12. Tennessee Titans (2-5)
13. Cleveland Browns (2-5)
14. Baltimore Ravens (1-5)
15. Miami Dolphins (1-6) 
16. New York Jets (0-7) 

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Now we know who to root for, who to root against, and what games to have playing wherever you may be as we impatiently wait to find out if the Bills have the train back on the right track in Buffalo.

Go Bills!