The New England Patriots are off this weekend, but they still can improve their playoff standing with a little help from ol' No. 12.
While the Patriots enjoy their bye week, Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will host the Buffalo Bills this Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET. It's not quite a must-win game for Buffalo, but it's pretty darn close.
The Bills, viewed as legit Super Bowl contenders and prohibitive AFC East favorites entering the season, now sit at a perilous 7-5 after losing 14-10 to the Patriots in a windstorm Monday night. They've dropped three of their last five and four of their last seven, and after this latest defeat, they had the look of a team that was internally unraveling.
Buffalo enters Week 14 as the third and final wild-card team in the competitive AFC. Lose Sunday, and it could slide out of the playoff picture entirely with four weeks remaining.
A road date with Tampa Bay probably is the least desirable matchup for a game with this much postseason importance. Not only are the Bucs defending Super Bowl champions and among this season's NFC favorites, but their quarterback also has owned the Bills throughout his 20-year career.
Brady has a career record of 32-3 against the Bills, with one of those losses coming in a meaningless Week 17 game that he exited at halftime. The last time the former Patriots QB lost to Buffalo in a game he started and finished was way back in September 2011. Current Bills head coach Sean McDermott is winless in six matchups against Brady.
A Buccaneers win Sunday would extend New England's lead in the AFC East to a full two games. The 9-4 Patriots lead the Baltimore Ravens, Tennessee Titans and Kansas City Chiefs by one game in the AFC standings and also owns the tiebreaker over all three teams, meaning they're guaranteed to remain in the top spot regardless of how this weekend's games play out.
Here's a look at the current AFC playoff standings:
1. New England Patriots (9-4; AFC East leader)
2. Baltimore Ravens (8-4; AFC North leader)
3. Tennessee Titans (8-4; AFC South leader)
4. Kansas City Chiefs (8-4; AFC West leader)
5. Los Angeles Chargers (7-5; first wild card)
6. Cincinnati Bengals (7-5; second wild card)
7. Buffalo Bills (7-5; third wild card)
The Patriots will return to action next Saturday night against the 7-6 Indianapolis Colts, who are making a strong playoff push with six wins in their last eight games. They'll then host a rematch with the Bills at Gillette Stadium before closing with games against the Jacksonville Jaguars (home) and Miami Dolphins (away).
