Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - We're down to the final two games of the 2024 regular season for the Buffalo Bills, and while their chances of the No. 1 seed in the AFC remain slim, they still sit in a good spot near the top of the conference standings.
The Bills improved to 12-3 this past Sunday with an uglier win than in past weeks, defeating the New England Patriots, 24-21, at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park.
Bills quarterback Josh Allen didn't quite have the MVP level performance than maybe he's had in a number of performances already this season, but still played a crucial role in the Buffalo offense. He ended his day throwing for 154 yards, one touchdown and an interception, while also rushing for 30 yards in the blistering cold.
James Cook was, arguably, Buffalo's best asset on the offensive side of the football on Sunday, rushing for 100 yards on 11 carries and picking up a rushing touchdown, while adding another touchdown through the air.
As for the Buffalo defense, while its mantra of "bend, but don't break" proved to be the case once again on Sunday, the unit did ultimately surrender over 300 total yards of offense for a third week in-a-row.
However, the team did come up with a couple of big turnovers to help swing the tide of the game, including an interception of Patriots quarterback Drake Maye when Bills safety Cam Lewis came up with the ball on a ball thrown in the end zone in the second half.
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The Bills will have to await their fate with the 1-seed in the AFC, as the Kansas City Chiefs will play this Wednesday on Christmas against the Pittsburgh Steelers. With a win in Pittsburgh, the Chiefs will clinch the No. 1 seed in the conference, and earn a first-round bye in the AFC playoffs.
If the Chiefs were to lose, the 1-seed would be alive for another week.
Another good outcome for the Bills on Christmas Day would be securing the No. 2 seed in the AFC, guaranteeing the possibility of, at least, two playoff home games at Highmark Stadium. For this, the Bills would need the Chiefs to beat the Steelers, and Houston Texans to defeat the Baltimore Ravens in the later game.
The Bills can also clinch the 2-seed in the AFC with one win in their remaining two games schedule. Buffalo will first host the New York Jets in the home regular season finale in Week 17, and then close out the 2024 regular season in Foxborough, Mass. against the Patriots.
Despite the not-so pretty win over the Patriots on Sunday, spirits were bright for Howard Simon heading into his weekly "Howard Picks the Bills" segment on Tuesday. Howard felt confident enough in the Bills to be able to claim stake to the AFC East in 2024, completing the division sweep in the final two games and finish the year with a franchise-best 14-3 record.
Come the playoffs, Howard continued to have the Bills rolling with home wins over the 7-seed Denver Broncos in the AFC Wild Card Round, followed by a win in the AFC Divisional Round over the 3-seed Baltimore Ravens.
However, Howard ended the Christmas fun by picking the Bills to, once again, fall short of the Super Bowl at the hands of the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game at Arrowhead Stadium.
Be sure to follow along on X, formerly known as Twitter, for the latest picks from Howard by using the hashtag #HowardPicksTheBills. You can also track all of Howard's picks throughout the season with Brayton Wilson's picks tracker on X: @BraytonJWilson.
You can listen to, as well as watch the latest edition of "Howard Picks the Bills" below: