Buffalo Bills, Oakland Raiders. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)
The Buffalo Bills are the presumptive favorites to win the AFC East this season. Here are five games they absolutely must win to ensure that of happening.
The Buffalo Bills made the AFC playoffs last year and for the second time in three years. Prior to Sean McDermott arriving in Orchard Park, Buffalo hadn’t reached the postseason since the Clinton Administration. And not since Jim Kelly was their quarterback have the Bills been favored to win the AFC East. They are the hunted, not the hunter anymore going forward in the division.
Buffalo won 10 games last year, albeit with a softer schedule than most. Because they were a Wild Card team a season ago, Buffalo will play a second-place schedule this fall. The Bills have the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Tennessee Titans on the schedule, as well as six divisional games, the AFC West in its entirety and the NFC West in its entirety out of the divisional rotation.
Ultimately, Buffalo has the structure in place to win double-digit games. If everything hits the fan, the Bills should be able to win five or six games. Should everything be coming up Milhouse for the Bills, maybe 12-4 and a top-two seed in the AFC playoff picture is possible? Regardless, we’re looking at a team that will win somewhere between eight and 11 games next season.
Here are the five games the Bills must win if they want to host a home playoff game next January.
5
Las Vegas Raiders
Away Allegiant Stadium
As long as the Bills assert their dominance in the division and beat the teams they should, home or away, they should be in good shape to win the AFC East this year. However, there are a few measuring stick games that will verify if the Bills belong in the upper crust of the AFC with the Baltimore Ravens and the Kansas City Chiefs or not. Their date in Las Vegas is one of these games.
Though having to go across the country to beat a team like the Las Vegas Raiders could be tough, this is a game the Bills need to have if they want to make it to the playoffs in back-to-back seasons. The Bills will face the Raiders indoors in a new environment where many members of Bills Mafia will find a way to make their first trek to Sin City to watch their favorite team play.
In short, the Bills won’t be walking into as raucous of a road stadium as the Oakland Coliseum used to be. Eventually, the Raiders will develop a strong home-crowd presence, but it will not happen overnight. The NFL will be in Las Vegas for the first time, and this means it will be more of a social event than a professional football game. This and playing inside only helps the Bills here.
And it’s not just the new stadium that benefits the Bills, but they are a near facsimile of how the Silver and Black will want to play under head coach Jon Gruden. The Bills have a better defense and are more ground-centric offensively than the Raiders. A potential loss in Las Vegas to the Raiders could come back to haunt the Bills if they’re vying for a Wild Card spot in 2020.