With a win this weekend and a loss by the Indianapolis Colts, Buffalo is heading to the playoffs for a record-setting seventh year in a row.
The Buffalo Bills are on their way to the NFL playoffs.
After taking care of business---albeit not as easily as fans would've liked---against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, the Bills needed either the Houston Texans or Indianapolis Colts to lose. The Texans were given a scare by the Las Vegas Raiders, but they were able to pull out a win. That meant all eyes turned to the Colts on Monday night.
Despite their best efforts against the San Francisco 49ers, the Colts couldn't keep up, falling 48-27. The loss drops them to 8-7, and that means the Bills have clinched a playoff spot for the seventh season in a row.
The seven straight seasons marks the longest such streak in franchise history. The only other time they've made it to the playoffs even six years in a row was during the Super Bowl years of 1988-1993.
It's also the longest active playoff streak in the NFL. The Kansas City Chiefs held the prior longest streak, but it ended this season when they were eliminated a little over a week ago.
Despite having a spot locked up, where the Bills finish is still up in the air. With two games left to play, Buffalo still has a shot to win the AFC East. All they need to do is win their final two games against Philadelphia and the New York Jets and see New England lose one of its final two games to either the Jets or Miami. While the chances of it happening sit at just 17% according to the New York Times playoff machine, it's still possible.
Should they not win the division, Buffalo's wild card position is in flux. Entering Week 17 they are tied with the Los Angeles Chargers for the fifth seed. However, the Chargers currently have the tiebreaker over the Bills due to having a better record in conference games, putting Buffalo at six. To get the fifth seed, the Bills need to simply win out or win one game with the Chargers losing out. Should the Bills stumble and lose one, or both, of their remaining games, the seventh seed isn't out of the question.
But those are questions that will have to wait to be answered. For now, Bills Mafia can rest easy knowing that there will be Buffalo football in the second week of January.