Josh Allen’s path appears to be set. For years, he has been blocked on his path to the Super Bowl by Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.
One year, he was knocked off by Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals. Now, he’s in the playoffs, and he’s the best quarterback remaining. His path to the Super Bowl is arguably more daunting than it has been in his time. The Bills are only able to host one playoff game, and it requires the Los Angeles Chargers to advance to the AFC Championship Game.
Breaking Down the Bills’ Next Opponent
First things first, they were on the road against the Jacksonville Jaguars, and came up with a big win. The Jaguars had a chance to earn the AFC’s top seed in the final week of the regular season, but ultimately finished behind both Denver and New England.
Winning in Jacksonville was no easy task, as the Jaguars were 7-2 at home this season. However, since the Bills managed to win, they’re likely on a collision course with a division rival.
The Bills’ path in the second round is pretty clear. Since they were able to beat the Jaguars, their fate is tied to the winner of the game between the New England Patriots and the Los Angeles Chargers.
#UPDATE: The Broncos will host the Buffalo Bills in the Divisional Round after the Bills and the New England Patriots won their respective games on Sunday.
If the Patriots win, the Bills will travel to Denver to face the Broncos, as they will be the lowest seed remaining on the AFC side. If the Chargers win, the Bills will face the winner of Monday night’s Wild Card Weekend finale between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Houston Texans.
Pittsburgh and Buffalo met earlier this year, and the Bills were dominant against Aaron Rodgers, winning 26-7. Oddly enough, the week prior to beating Pittsburgh, they lost 23-19 to Houston, and Josh Allen was beaten and battered when that game ended.
Houston’s pass rush may be the single most dominant individual unit in the AFC playoffs. That is a matchup that Buffalo would likely want to avoid for as long as possible.
They cannot host a Divisional Round game. The only game in the postseason the Bills would be able to host is a potential AFC championship matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers.
That would require the Chargers to beat both New England and Denver, the AFC’s two top seeds on the road, before they were to hook up with the Bills. If Josh Alen is going to get to his first Super Bowl, both he and the Bills are likely going to need to go the long way.
