With Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs missing the playoffs, many pointed to the Buffalo Bills as the natural favorites in the AFC. If the Bills are going to fulfill those expectations, they are going to have to get comfortable winning on the road.
The Bills’ streak of five consecutive AFC East titles was snapped by the New England Patriots, meaning Buffalo will start the playoffs on the road and potentially stay there throughout its run if it advances past the wild-card round.
What the Bills didn’t know entering Week 18 was where their playoff journey would start. They lost ground in the race for seeding with their Week 17 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, but advanced to 12-5 with a blowout win over the New York Jets in the final game at the old Highmark Stadium.
Here’s what you need to know about the Bills’ playoff outlook and who they might play in the wild-card round.
LIVE: Updated NFL playoff picture for Week 18
NFL playoff bracket 2026
Bills playoff picture
The Bills enter Week 18 as the No. 7 seed in the AFC, but with the win combined with the Chargers loss moved up to the No. 6 seed.
| Seed | Team | Record |
| 1 | Denver Broncos* | 14-3 |
| 2 | New England Patriots* | 14-3 |
| 3 | Jacksonville Jaguars* | 13-4 |
| 4 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 9-7 |
| 5 | Houston Texans* | 12-5 |
| 6 | Buffalo Bills* | 12-5 |
| 7 | Los Angeles Chargers* | 11-6 |
| 8 | Indianapolis Colts – eliminated | 8-9 |
| 9 | Baltimore Ravens | 8-8 |
| 10 | Miami Dolphins – eliminated | 7-10 |
| 11 | Cincinnati Bengals – eliminated | 6-11 |
| 12 | Kansas City Chiefs – eliminated | 6-11 |
| 13 | Cleveland Browns – eliminated | 5-12 |
| 14 | Tennessee Titans – eliminated | 3-14 |
| 15 | New York Jets – eliminated | 3-14 |
| 16 | Las Vegas Raiders – eliminated | 3-14 |
*=clinched playoff spot
Buffalo will now travel to Jacksonville to take on the red-hot Jaguars in the AFC wild card round.
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Bills clinching scenarios
The Bills win over the Jets, combined with the Chargers loss against the Broncos, means Buffalo moves up to the No. 6 seed in the AFC. Though they have the same record of the Houston Texans, Houston has the tiebreaker after beating Buffalo earlier in the season.
The Chargers are rested Justin Herbert and other key starters against the Broncos. While the Bills did the same, they still destroyed the much-inferior Jets and were able to move up in the AFC seeding.
Next up: Josh Allen vs. Trevor Lawrence in the AFC wild card round.
