After a stirring comeback win, the Buffalo Bills gave their playoff life a boost. And perhaps Josh Allen pushed ahead of Drake Maye in the NFL MVP race. Furthermore, here is the Bills’ dream playoff scenario with three weeks left in the regular season.
In a shocking rally for a 35-31 win over the Patriots, the Bills remained in the hunt for the No. 1 overall seed. And that’s the landing spot for their dream scenario.
First, let’s address the obvious. How would the 10-4 Bills find a way past the Broncos? That’s a team that is 12-2 with 11 straight victories.
Bills still have outside shot at No. 1 seed
It’s all about the schedule. The Bills have the Browns, Eagles, and Jets left on their docket. They should handle the Browns and Jets with ease. So that means the game against the Eagles is paramount.
But with the way the Eagles have played offensively over the last month or so, the Bills figure to have a good chance to win that game. The Eagles may be hard-pressed to keep up with Allen’s scoring prowess.
Allen certainly thinks his team can beat anybody, according to ESPN.
“No matter what the score is, if it’s in the third quarter, in the fourth quarter, whatever it is, if we’ve got a chance and we’ve got the ball, we feel like we like our chances,” said Allen, who rallied his team from a 17-point halftime deficit against the Patriots.”
But the Bills would also need the Broncos to lose at least twice. However, the schedule provides that possibility.
First, the Broncos play host to the red-hot Jaguars. And quarterback Trevor Lawrence is coming off a career-best game. Then they visit the Chiefs. Without Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs seem unlikely to clip the Broncos. But with head coach Andy Reid and a reasonably good backup in Gardner Minshew, the Chiefs won’t be a pushover playing on their home field.
The Broncos then play host to the division rival Chargers. That’s not an easy game, either.
What other help would the Bills need?
They would need to Patriots to lose at least once, maybe twice. New England closes out with road games against the Ravens and Jets before returning home to face the Dolphins.
There’s little chance the Jets could handle the Patriots, so the Bills would need help from the Ravens. And with Lamar Jackson behind center, the Ravens are capable of beating the Patriots.
But the Bills might also need the Dolphins to take down the Patriots. Since it’s a January game in Foxboro, Massachusetts, it’s hard to imagine the Dolphins winning outside of their element. But they have been running the ball effectively during their recent hot streak. So it’s not out of the question.
If the Bills get the No. 1 seed, what’s the value?
It would be huge for this team. It’s not a necessity, but teams having to come to the cold and possible snow makes for a nice Buffalo edge.
It’s already hard to beat Allen. It’s even tougher on his home field in possible bad weather. Bills head coach Sean McDermott said Allen is playing at an elite level, according to Sports Illustrated.
“I don’t do a very good job of knowing what’s going on around the league, but I can’t, in my mind, imagine anybody else has done more for their team on a more consistent basis than Josh Allen,” McDermott said. “I mean, who out there is playing better?”
McDermott deferred on the question of whether Allen is MVP worthy.
“That’ll work itself out in the end,” he replied. “And everyone’s going to vote how they want to vote. But there is absolutely no question in my mind who the MVP of this league is.”
Another thing that helps the Bills is their ability to deal with in-game adversity.
“You kind of develop this kind of resilient nature over the course of a season, through a lot of the adversity that you face,” McDermott said. “If you’re able to stick with it, you learn something about yourself. You develop a bit more toughness naturally, both physically and mentally. The team develops a little bit of this composure, quality, or trait that they don’t panic.
“You’ve got to think about some of these young guys that are out there, that this is their first time playing NFL football this year, and they’re just kind of looking at the older guys after falling behind. Does this just keep going?”
How does the dream finish?
The Bills enjoy their bye week, and the Steelers limp their way into Buffalo. Pittsburgh finishes as the No. 4 seed and upsets the No. 5 seed Houston Texans.
That brings the Texans to face the Bills, and Allen works his usual stuff for a victory. Then the Bills play host to the Broncos in the AFC championship game because the Broncos clip the Patriots.
Bo Nix isn’t ready for a Super Bowl, and the Broncos’ defense can’t contain Allen for four quarters. Finally, the Bills would return to the Super Bowl.
