While the Buffalo Bills have already won the AFC East for the third straight time and clinched a spot in the NFL Playoffs for the fourth consecutive season, they’ve still got work to do to clinch home-field advantage and the AFC’s lone first-round bye.
Coming into their high-profile Week 17 matchup on Monday night with the red-hot Cincinnati Bengals, the Bills are tied with the Kansas City Chiefs for the best record in the conference at 12-3. However, due to a 24-20 win over Patrick Mahomes & Co. in Week 6, Buffalo holds the head-to-head tiebreaker and is currently the No. 1 seed in the AFC with two weeks to go.
And the Bills could lock up that No. 1 seed in Week 17.
Bills playoff scenarios: How the Bills can clinch home-field advantage and a first-round bye in Week 17
The formula for Buffalo to clinch home-field advantage is quite simple. If the Bills defeat the Bengals and the Chiefs lose to the Broncos, Buffalo takes the No. 1 seed in the AFC.
Of course, it doesn’t seem likely that Kansas City will lose to Denver, a team that just lost to the Los Angeles Rams, 51-14, and fired head coach Nathaniel Hackett soon after.
And there’s certainly no guarantee that the Bills will beat the Bengals, who’ve won seven in a row and nine of their last 10. But Buffalo is riding a six-game winning streak of its own and has won six of eight on the road this season.
This game will go a long way in determining the No. 1 seed in the AFC, as Cincinnati (11-4) is the only other team besides Buffalo and Kansas City that can still win it.
