Buffalo Bills Week 10 rooting interests in AFC playoff race

Well that was a fun one. Week 9 went (mostly) the Buffalo Bills’ way on the out-of-town scoreboard. The Bills got the big win over the Kansas City Chiefs to both stay in the playoff picture and pick up the tiebreaker over the AFC’s perennial champions.

Elsewhere, The AFC’s one seed, the Indianapolis Colts, now have the same number of losses as the Bills and quarterback Joe Flacco couldn’t get the Cincinnati Bengals past the Chicago Bears, lessening the chance they’ll rise from the ashes late in the season

if Joe Burrow returns in December. Unfortunately, the New England Patriots kept their hold on the AFC East, and the Baltimore Ravens showed that with quarterback Lamar Jackson in the game, their season isn’t a complete loss.

Here’s a look at how things stand before Week 10 kicks off with Thursday Night Football between the Denver Broncos and Las Vegas Raiders.

AFC East Week 10 standings

1. New England Patriots (7-2) 
2. Buffalo Bills (6-2) 
3. Miami Dolphins (2-7)
4. New York Jets (1-7)  

AFC Playoff Picture heading into Week 10

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

Buffalo could still use some help getting that AFC East title back. As the Bills are headed south to face the Miami Dolphins, rooting for a couple of NFC South teams could mean that Buffalo jumps from second in the division and fifth overall in the AFC, to owning both crowns by Sunday night — with the right combination of scoreboard results.

So, here’s a look at how we’d like to see things go this weekend. Get ready Bills Mafia, it’s going to be a wild weekend!

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AFC East Week 10 Bills rooting interests

Buffalo Bills (6-2) over Miami Dolphins (2-7), Sunday 1 p.m. EST (CBS) 

This one goes without saying, but root for the Bills. A win, at the least, keeps Buffalo right where they are in the playoffs, and at best propels them to the top of the conference. Plus, there’s the whole division rivalry thing: If the Bills take the win in the Sunshine State, the division series will even up at 62 wins a piece.

Go Bills!

New York Jets (1-7) over Cleveland Browns (2-6), Sunday 1 p.m. EST (CBS)

Sometimes it pays off to root for the divisional team. The Jets are not making it into the playoffs this season. In fact, they are only a few weeks away from mathematical elimination. The Bills already beat them, so a Jets win means a stronger SOV score (yes, we assume that they will get the win over Cleveland later, but nothing is ever a given). Equally (or even a little higher) in matter of importance, is the fact that the Jets now own three first-round picks in the 2026 NFL Draft. Rooting against them getting the first overall pick is the way to go here.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-2) over New England Patriots (7-2), Sunday 1 p.m. EST (CBS)

This is on repeat: The Patriots are currently the AFC East leaders, and New England fans believe quarterback Drake Maye is the second coming of Tom Brady. The Bills need to do their part to silence all that noise coming from the east. But, the Bills can only do so much until Week 15 when they travel to Foxborough to avenge their Week 5 loss. Until then, it’s root for anyone playing the Patriots. This week that means it’s “Go Bucs!”

Week 10 games that impact the Bills

Las Vegas Raiders (2-6) over Denver Broncos (7-2), Thursday 8:15 p.m. EST (Prime Video)

The Broncos lead the AFC West. That’s a nice change instead of seeing Taylor Swift’s team up there at the top. But they are also a half game ahead of the Bills (should Buffalo leapfrog over New England this week), due to not having had their bye yet. So, getting another tally in the loss column, while unlikely (but anything can happen when you face a division opponent, right?), would be ideal.

Atlanta Falcons (3-5) over Indianapolis Colts (7-2), Sunday 9:30 a.m. EST (CBS) 

This game is the next one on the NFL’s international schedule, being played in Berlin, Germany. Let’s hope the Colts feel the jet lag. Their bye is coming up in Week 11, which is when they could lose that half-game edge over the other division leaders. An Atlanta win this week would help move that along. That coupled with all the right other moves, could mean the Bills find themselves back in control of their own destiny.

Pittsburgh Steelers (5-3) over Los Angeles Chargers (6-3), Sunday 8:20 p.m. EST (NBC) 

The Steelers lead the AFC North, but their record is a full game behind the Bills, so no harm with rooting for them. The Chargers, however, are only a half game behind, so creating some more distance between Buffalo and all the other contenders is the play here. Plus, the Chiefs are on bye, so losses by both the Broncos and the Chargers aren’t going to be what moves them back up.

Remainder of Bills’ NFL Week 10 rooting interests  

Here, it’s all about three things: Rooting for outcomes that improve Buffalo’s overall SOS, NFC over AFC, or taking the team that will better-position the Bills in the playoff race.

New Orleans Saints (1-8) over Carolina Panthers (5-4) — improves Bills’ SOS
Houston Texans (3-5) over Jacksonville Jaguars (5-3) — helps Bills in playoff race
Minnesota Vikings (4-4) over Baltimore Ravens (3-5) — NFC over AFC
Philadelphia Eagles (6-2) over Green Bay Packers (5-2-1) — improves Bills SOS

Games that do not impact the Bills this week

New York Giants (2-7) at Chicago Bears (5-3)
Arizona Cardinals (3-5) at Seattle Seahawks (6-2)
Los Angeles Rams (6-2) at San Francisco 49ers (6-3)
Detroit Lions (5-3) at Washington Commanders (3-6)

Teams on Bye
Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs, Tennessee Titans

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Optimistic AFC standings after Week 10 

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

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Now we know who to root for and, more importantly, who to root against, as it relates to the Buffalo Bills in Week 10.

Go Bills!