5 NFL longshots who could actually make the playoffs
By Nick Villano
2. Buffalo Bills — Playoff Chances: 32 percent
These playoff chances surprised you, right? The Buffalo Bills, a team that came into the season as one of the Super Bowl favorites, now has less than a one-third chance to make the playoffs. That's what happens when a team loses to the Bengals, another team fighting for a playoff spot. This is a team with Josh Allen at the peak of his powers. Stefon Diggs is having an amazing season. This is still a really good defense. What is worrisome is the coaching staff. It's not a bad coaching staff, but it is a desperate coaching staff. If things don't turn around, Sean McDermott, Ken Dorsey and the rest of that staff will be looking for work.
Let's look at the facts. This is still an incredibly talented offense that is a perennial playoff team. What they do in the playoffs notwithstanding, the Bills always perform in the regular season. They haven't missed the postseason since 2018. This is largely the same team in place. While there have been a few injuries, it should be simple to get back into this.
What's hurting this prediction is the Bills' schedule. They still have the Chiefs, Eagles, Cowboys, Dolphins, and Chargers to play. If they win half of those games and beat the teams they should (Broncos, Jets and Patriots), they finish the season either 10-7 or 11-6. The latter obviously is enough to make the postseason, but does 10 wins get you in the AFC picture? And that's assuming they can avoid another bad loss.
It's scary right now, but the Bills seem like they should have a much better chance to make the postseason than this. If they lose this week against the Broncos, then they'll be completely off this list.