NFL playoff picture: What does Jets-Bills mean for AFC standings

The Jets face the Bills in Buffalo on Sunday. We break down what the game means for the NFL playoff picture.

The Buffalo Bills are in the thick of the AFC playoff race while the New York Jets are not. The Jets were eliminated weeks ago and are in a tailspin, losing five of six and ten of their last twelve since a somewhat promising 2-1 start.

Let’s take a look at how their Week 17 game is going to impact the AFC standings.

Bills playoff picture

The Kansas City Chiefs clinched the one seed on Christmas Day with their win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Houston Texans clinched the four seed with their loss on Wednesday, too, so the Bills are really locked into a three-team race for seeds number two and three.

With a win in either of their two final games, a 13-win Buffalo team would clinch the two seed. If the Bills lose twice and the Ravens win in Week 18, Baltimore is the two seed and Buffalo is third. Buffalo has already clinched a better record than Pittsburgh if the Steelers win and the Ravens lose.

Tiebreaker implications

The only tiebreaker that can still come into play for the Bills is the Ravens’ head-to-head win over Buffalo from September. The win this week would be to improve Buffalo’s overall record to make that tiebreaker unusable.