The 2023 Buffalo Bills may be the most difficult team in the NFL to figure out. At the start of the season, the Bills were clear favorites to win the AFC East once again, and they seemed to be one of the major threats in the conference along with the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs and the Cincinnati Bengals. However, as they head into their Week 15 game against the Cowboys, they are on the outside of the playoff structure looking in.

Instead of taking on the role of serious contender — something the Bills have been since the 2019 season — they have been wildly inconsistent. They bring a 7-6 record into this home game against the surging Dallas Cowboys, and have lost to struggling teams like the Jets, Patriots and Broncos. They have also lost to the Jaguars, Bengals and Eagles.

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At this point in the season, the Bills are facing the 3rd of 3 straight games against the NFL's elite. They lost an overtime game to the Eagles but they recovered to outlast the Chiefs in Week 14. Both of those games were on the road, but this game against the Cowboys will take face in front of the Bills Mafia at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park.

Improving the Bills playoff position

After Saturday's trio of games, the 7-6 Bills are the No. 9 seed in the AFC, on the outside of the playoff structure looking in. However, if they can beat the Cowboys in Week 15, their position will grow more favorable.

They close the season with games against the reeling Chargers (road), hapless Patriots (home) and the first-place Dolphins (road). It might still be a struggle to gain entry into the playoffs, but it is likely that a 10-7 record will give them a fighting chance to play postseason football.

Bills QB Josh Allen will throw 2 TD passes and run for another

There is no doubt about Josh Allen's physical talent and overall ability as an NFL quarterback. He has one of the best fastballs in the league and he can fit the ball into tight windows with great touch. He can also run like a stallion and give his team a major advantage in that area. He can regularly pick up first downs with his legs and also power the ball into the end zone.

However, like any stallion, he can be wild and untamed. He has maximum confidence and will try to force the ball into coverage and that puts his team at risk. Allen has a reckless quality to his game and he has not seemed to learn that there is a time to take chances and another time to play with a more conservative tone.

Allen can be wildly inconsistent

As he prepares for the Cowboys, Allen has completed 318 of 475 passes with 25 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. That last number is one of the primary reasons that the Bills have already lost 6 games this season.

Wide receiver Stefon Diggs is Allen's best weapon, as he leads the team 87 receptions for 993 yards and 8 touchdowns. Diggs is something of a gamebreaker and a diva. He has been targeted 132 times, and he will celebrate after big plays. However, he has a hard time controlling himself when Allen opts to throw the ball to another receiver.

As for Allen's running ability, he has 72 carries for 374 yards and he has 10 rushing touchdowns. None of the Bills running backs have more than 3 touchdowns on the ground.

He is facing a Dallas defense that has demonstrated it can shut down some pretty good quarterbacks. The Cowboys are led by linebacker Micah Parsons, who has a team-leading 12.5 sacks. The confrontation between Allen and Parsons will go a long way towards determining the outcome of this game.

Cowboys have struggled on the road

The Cowboys travel to upstate New York with a 5-game winning streak. Four of those victories came at AT&T Stadium, and the only win on the road in that streak came against the lowly Carolina Panthers.

The Cowboys are 7-0 at home this season, but just 3-3 on the road. While losing on the road to the 49ers and Eagles is not unexpected, the Cowboys also lost a road game to the Arizona Cardinals.

They are clearly a much better team than the Cardinals. The Cowboys are loaded with stars, including quarterback Dak Prescott, wide out CeeDee Lamb and tight end Jake Ferguson on offense along with Parsons, linebacker Damone Clark (team-leading 81 tackles) and cornerback DaRon Bland (8 interceptions, 5 returned for touchdowns) on defense. However, when they played Arizona, they took that opponent for granted.

That is unlikely to happen against the Bills, but it is clear that the Cowboys don't prepare as well for road games as they do for home games.

That is likely to continue here, and the Bills should be able to take advantage and come away with the victory.