The Buffalo Bills were supposed to take a step back this season. After moving on from multiple veterans, including Stefon Diggs, the Bills seemingly were entering a soft reset.
Yet, Buffalo went 9-2 in its first 11 games and improved to 10-2 after soundly beating the San Francisco 49ers in Week 13. In the process, they clinched the AFC East. This marks their fifth consecutive division title, a franchise record.
What Were the Bills’ Playoff-Clinching Scenarios?
Heading into Week 13, the Buffalo Bills were 9-2 and on a six-game win streak. This was Buffalo’s division-clinching scenario entering Week 13:
- BUF win + MIA loss
The Dolphins lost to the Green Bay Packers on Thanksgiving night, and all the Bills needed to do was take care of business at home.
Can the Bills Get the AFC’s No. 1 Seed?
The Bills have a 30.3% chance for the first seed, a 44.4% chance for the second seed, a 23.8% chance for the third seed, a 1.2% chance for the fourth seed, a <0.1% chance for the fifth seed, a 0.1% chance for the sixth seed, and a 0.1% chance for the seventh seed.
AFC Playoff Race | Week 18
1. Kansas City Chiefs (15-1)
2. Buffalo Bills (13-3)
3. Baltimore Ravens (12-5)
4. Houston Texans (9-7)
5. Los Angeles Chargers (10-6)
6. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7)
7. Denver Broncos (9-7)
In The Hunt
9. Cincinnati Bengals (9-8)
8. Miami Dolphins (8-8)
Eliminated From Playoffs
10. Indianapolis Colts (7-9)
11. New York Jets (4-12)
12. Las Vegas Raiders (4-12)
13. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-12)
14. Tennessee Titans (3-13)
15. New England Patriots (3-13)
16. Cleveland Browns (3-14)
Bills Super Bowl Chances After Week 13
Can Buffalo win the Super Bowl? The PFN Playoff Predictor projects that the Bills have a 10% chance to win it all.
Remaining Bills Schedule
- Week 14: at Los Angeles Rams
- Week 15: at Detroit Lions
- Week 16: vs. New England Patriots
- Week 17: at vs. New York Jets
- Week 18: at New England Patriots
What PFN Predicted for the Bills vs. 49ers Matchup
Here’s where the Bills and 49ers rank in various Pro Football Network metrics.
49ers
Offense+ Metric: 9th (B-)
Defense+ Metric: 17th (C)
Brock Purdy QB+ Metric: 5th (B+)
Bills
Offense+ Metric: 7th (B)
Defense+ Metric: 14th (C+)
Josh Allen QB+ Metric: 8th (B+)
This is a tough game to preview, as we don’t know who’ll be on the field for San Francisco.
Purdy and Trent Williams missed last week’s loss to the Green Bay Packers due to shoulder and ankle injuries, respectively. So did Nick Bosa, who’s dealing with multiple injuries, and Charvarius Ward, who sat out the last three games after the death of his one-year-old daughter.
The Week 13 statuses are unclear for all four. If Purdy can’t play, backup Brandon Allen will start his second consecutive game. If that happens, the Bills could win in a blowout, as the Packers did last week.
However, Buffalo should win this game regardless of who plays for the 49ers.
The Bills are playing better on both sides of the ball and are on a six-game winning streak. Allen is playing like an MVP candidate, and his much-maligned supporting cast is exceeding expectations.
Sure, Buffalo could suffer a letdown after beating the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 11, and you always wonder whether a team will look rusty after its bye week. Plus, we all know the 49ers are better than their record.
But these are two teams going in different directions, and the 49ers must travel across the country to play in a difficult environment. This game has “Bills win” written all over it.
PFN Prediction: Bills 34, 49ers 20
