The Buffalo Bills dropped a contest to the Bengals Sunday as they fell to 5-4 on the season. With a tough schedule ahead, do they still have a chance to make the postseason?
Buffalo Bills Playoff Chances
The Bills took their fourth loss of the season in Week 9. They only had three losses all of last year. What’s the problem?
Josh Allen has been playing effectively, as he’s completed 71.7% of his pass attempts for 2,165 yards, 17 touchdowns, and eight interceptions. His best performance came in a win against the Dolphins, where he completed 84% of his pass attempts with 320 yards, four touchdowns, and no interceptions.
The Bills took a close loss to the Jets in Week 1 as they lost 22-16 in overtime. Another close 25-20 loss to the Jaguars came in Week 5, and they lost by just four points against the Patriots in Week 7.
While a late-game rally sparked hope in the fourth quarter of the matchup against the Bengals, the effort was too little too late. Too many close losses may have the Bills in trouble when it comes to playoff contention.
The Miami Dolphins sit atop the AFC East standings, posting a 6-3 record. Now, at 5-4, the Bills will have their work cut out for them if they want to reach the top seed. While they are only a game behind the Dolphins, their upcoming schedules look vastly different.
MORE: Buffalo Bills Depth Chart
The Bills will face the Broncos and the Jets in the upcoming weeks, which are definitely winnable games. Afterwards, things get a bit tougher.
In Week 12, the team faces the currently 8-1 Eagles, and then face the 7-2 Chiefs in Week 13. The Cowboys will also likely pose a challenge in Week 14.
A couple more winnable games follow in the Chargers and Patriots before they face the Dolphins, who arguably have a much easier slate ahead of them.
Things started to look bleak for the team as they took a disastrous loss to the Patriots and Mac Jones in Week 7. They allowed 29 points against a team that had come into the contest averaging 12 points per game and only scored on 18.3% of its drives.
After that loss, Bills defensive tackle Jordan Phillips said, “We’re not gonna freak out; we’re a great team.”
The Bills then went on to get back on track and win against the Buccaneers but just took another loss to the Bengals. Cincinnati was in control for the majority of the game as they scored on their first two drives. Allen ran in a two-yard score in the first quarter, but that was the only time they found the end zone until the very end of the game.
The Bills offense just can’t seem to get into a rhythm. The Bengals have now won four straight games and sit at 5-3. A win would have been huge for the Bills as they would have been tied with the Dolphins at the top of the division. Instead, they now sit at third behind Miami and the 4-3 Jets.
The top three spots are still close, and the Bills definitely still have a chance to claim that top spot if everything goes right for them.
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