Bills news: Buffalo on verge of history, McDermott streak on the line, Allen NFL MVP odds

After upping their winning streak to six by knocking off the previously undefeated Kansas City Chiefs, the Buffalo Bills finally got their much-needed bye this past week, which they obviously had to be hoping helped some of their banged-up stars.

Offensive tackle Spencer Brown (ankle), rookie wideout Keon Coleman (wrist), and tight end Dalton Kincaid (knee), of course, all sat out Buffalo's victory over the two-time defending champs. And while there is optimism that all three could return this weekend, that picture will become clearer as the week progresses once official injury reports start trickling in.

Linebacker Matt Milano, who hasn't yet taken a snap this season after suffering a torn biceps during training camp, and rookie defensive tackle DeWayne Carter, who's eligible to come off injured reserve after undergoing wrist surgery, may also return to action soon. But again, we'll know more later in the week.

The good news for the Bills is that even if these guys can't go in Week 13, they're set to face another club that likely won't be at full strength, as they're set to take on the San Francisco 49ers, who were without the services of Brock Purdy, Trent Williams, and Nick Bosa, among others, this past weekend in a 38-10 loss to the Green Bay Packers.

And even if those three do suit up, they likely won't be at 100%, which obviously bodes well for the Bills, who could actually become the first team to lock up a spot in the NFL Playoffs if those same Packers take care of business against the Miami Dolphins on Thanksgiving night.

And that's where we'll kick things off as we look at some news and notes surrounding Sean McDermott's squad heading into their Week 13 matchup with Kyle Shanahan and the Niners.

The Bills are on the verge of history

Sitting at 9-2 heading into Week 13, the Bills are a full four games ahead of the 5-6 Dolphins in the AFC East heading into Week 13 and also swept the season series with Miami, thus giving Buffalo the head-to-head tiebreaker.

As such, if the Dolphins lose to the Packers on Thursday night at Lambeau Field and the Bills take down the 49ers on Sunday Night Football, Buffalo would officially clinch the division.

Now, had Tua Tagovailoa not returned this season, Buffalo could have at least tied an NFL record as the earliest ever to clinch a division. Four teams are tied at the top, having done so in Week 11, the most recent being the undefeated 2007 New England Patriots, who actually joined the club at Buffalo's expense as Tom Brady tossed five touchdown passes in Orchard Park in a 56-10 victory.

But while the Bills won't get an NFL record, they are on the verge of a little franchise history. It's no longer a matter of if Buffalo wins the East but when. And when that happens, they'll have won five straight division titles, which has never before occurred since this team was founded in 1960.

The Bills won four straight AFL Eastern Division titles from 1963 to 1966, although that streak comes with a bit of an asterisk. In 1963, Buffalo and the then-Boston Patriots were tied atop the division at 7-6-1 and had split the season series, which was the only tiebreaker used back then. As such, the two engaged in a one-game playoff, which the Pats won. Hence the asterisk.

Even taking that out of play, the Bills won four straight AFC East titles from 1988 to 1991, the last two of which led to trips to the Super Bowl.

Buffalo has never lost coming out of a bye under Sean McDermott

ln addition to their four-year streak of division titles, the Bills are also on a hot streak coming out of bye weeks.

Since taking over as head coach, McDermott has yet to lose after an off-week, going 7-0. Overall, Buffalo hasn't lost following a bye in a decade, last losing to the Chiefs in 2014.

The turn of the month also bodes well for Buffalo, as the Bills haven't lost in the month of December since 2021, winning 11 in a row since then. They've also won their last eight regular-season games at home and have won their last two games against San Francisco, so there are a lot of streaks on the line this Sunday.

Josh Allen remains the betting favorite to win NFL MVP

Despite Lamar Jackson accounting for three touchdowns in the Baltimore Ravens' 30-23 win over the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday night, Bills quarterback Josh Allen remains the betting favorite to win NFL MVP.

Per DraftKings, Allen leads the way with +150 odds, with Jackson just behind at +250.

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, who's hoping to become the first non-quarterback to win the award since Adrian Peterson in 2012, sits in third at +475, with Jared Goff (+700), who Buffalo will see in Week 15 when they visit the Detroit Lions, and two-time winner Patrick Mahomes (+1300) rounding out the top five.