It’s finally happened. Buffalo Bills fans have to spend a Sunday cheering for Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Buffalo’s victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers kept the Bills in the No. 7 seed, the AFC’s final playoff spot, entering Week 14.
The Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Chargers, Indianapolis Colts and Bills are all 8-4, and the Houston Texans (7-5) own the tiebreaker over Buffalo. With AFC playoff contenders facing each other in two key games and the New England Patriots on a Week 14 bye, Buffalo has a chance to gain ground in both the division and the conference.
Here’s who Bills fans should root for in Week 14.
Bengals (4-8) at Bills (8-4), Sunday 1 p.m.
Who to root for: Bills
Start with the obvious. Buffalo could gain ground on the Patriots in the AFC East and the losers of the Colts-Jaguars and Texans-Chiefs games. The Bills would also potentially eliminate the Bengals from playoff contention.
Colts (8-4) at Jaguars (8-4), Sunday 1 p.m.
Who to root for: Jaguars
The winner takes control of the AFC South and the loser drops into the crowded wild-card lane with Buffalo. Jacksonville has the better AFC record (5–2) compared to Indianapolis (6–3), so it’s more realistic for the Bills to chase down the Colts in the wild-card race.
Steelers (6-6) at Ravens (6-6), Sunday 1 p.m.
Who to root for: Steelers
The winner will sit atop the AFC North. Buffalo beat both teams this season, but now the optimal outcome is for Pittsburgh to win the division and push Baltimore closer to falling out of the race.
Dolphins (5-7) at Jets (3-9), Sunday 1 p.m.
Who to root for: Toss-up
Traditional thought is for the Dolphins to lose because they’re technically still in the playoff hunt. But Miami plays at New England in Week 18 and Buffalo will want the Dolphins to have something to play for in the finale so they can knock off the Patriots.
Titans (1-11) at Browns (3-9), Sunday 1 p.m.
Who to root for: Browns
Tennessee is already eliminated from playoff contention, so this comes down to tiebreak ripple effects. The Titans have losses to several AFC playoff contenders the Bills could be tied with, so a Browns win slightly helps Buffalo’s potential strength-of-victory (SOV) scenarios. The Bills play Cleveland in Week 16 but not Tennessee.
Seahawks (9-3) at Falcons (4-8), Sunday, 1 p.m.
Who to root for: Seahawks
Atlanta already beat Buffalo. Seattle hasn’t lost to an AFC team, which makes a Seahawks win the cleaner outcome for the Bills’ SOV/SOS picture.
Broncos (10-2) at Raiders (2-10), Sunday 4:05 p.m.
Who to root for: Raiders
Denver leads the AFC West and is in the mix for the No. 1 seed.
Texans (7-5) at Chiefs (6-6), Sunday 8:20 p.m.
Who to root for: Chiefs
For real: Bills fans should root for the Chiefs. Houston owns the head-to-head tiebreaker over Buffalo; Kansas City does not. If the Chiefs win and the Bills beat the Bengals, Buffalo creates separation from the Texans and keeps a tiebreak edge over Kansas City.
Eagles (8-4) at Chargers (8-4), Monday 8:15 p.m.
Who to root for: Eagles
The Chargers and Bills are each 8–4, but Los Angeles has a better AFC record (7–2 vs. Buffalo’s 5–3). With no head-to-head matchup this season, the cleanest way for the Bills to jump the Chargers is for Philadelphia to hand them another loss. Buffalo hosts the Eagles in Week 17.
NFC matchups with indirect impact
These games don’t affect AFC standings directly, but SOS/SOV effects matter. Each of these matchups provides slight boosts to Buffalo’s strength-of-victory or hurts the SOV of other AFC contenders.
Cowboys (6-5-1) at Lions (7-5), Thursday, 8:15 p.m.
Who to root for: Lions
UPDATE: Lions 44, Cowboys 30
Commanders (3-9) at Vikings (4–-8), Sunday, 1 p.m.
Who to root for: Commanders
Bears (9-3) at Packers (8-3-1), Sunday, 4:25 p.m.
Who to root for: Packers
Rams (9–3) at Cardinals (3–9), Sunday 4:25 p.m.
Who to root for: Rams
Saints (2-10) at Buccaneers (7-5), Sunday, 1 p.m.
Who to root for: Toss-up
Teams on bye week
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Bills fans need to hope their nemesis wins. Here’s who to root for this weekend
Reporting by Ryan Miller, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
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