The stage is set for Super Bowl LX (60). We know who the teams will be in the playoffs, so who will the Bills play?

How do the playoffs work in the NFL?

As of the end of the Bills’ game against the Jets, we still didn’t know all of the teams that would make it to the playoffs this year. However, by the time many of us went to bed, the field was set.  The teams that will be playing in the playoffs in the AFC include:

Denver Broncos (14-3)New England Patriots (14-3)Jacksonville Jaguars (13-4)Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7)Houston Texans (12-5)Buffalo Bills (12-5)Los Angeles Chargers (11-6)

For those who don’t often pay attention to NFL football and how the playoffs work, the teams are all given a number or a ranking that they call the seed. Those numbers are listed above. The first four seeds are the division winner ranked by their records. The Denver Broncos are the AFC West champions and will get the first seed. The Patriots were the AFC East champs so they get the second seed, and so on.

The next three spots are considered “wild card” spots. They’re designated for the teams that didn’t win their division but still had the best records in the AFC. So the Buffalo Bills are the 6th seed this year.

Here’s why the seeds matter in the NFL playoffs

Now that we know who the seeds are, what does it mean about who they will play? It seems very complicated, but it’s not. The first seed (Denver) will get a bye in the first week of the playoffs.  They don’t have to play and will automatically move on to the next round. The next six teams will all play in what they call the wild card round.

The 2 seed will play the 7 seed. The 3 seed will play the 6 seed. The 4 seed will play the 5 seed. So, because the Bills are the 6th seed, they’ll end up playing the 3rd seed Jacksonville Jaguars.

What happens after the wild card round?

From this week forward, teams will be eliminated from the playoffs. If they win, they move on. If they lose, they clear out their lockers and go home.

The seeds will stay with the teams, though. Throughout the playoffs, the Bills will remain the 6th seed. The remaining teams with the highest seeds will play the teams with the lowest seeds.

So, for example, if the Patriots beat the Chargers, the Bills beat the Jaguars, and the Texans beat the Steelers in the Wild Card weekend, the teams left would be the Broncos (1-seed), the Patriots (2-seed), the Texans (5-seed), and the Bills (6-seed). The Broncos (1) would then take on the Bills (6) because the Bills would be the lowest seed and the Patriots (2) would take on the Texans (5).

If The Chargers beat the Patriots, the Bills beat the Jaguars, and the Steelers beat the Texans, then the Broncos (1)  would take on the Chargers (7), and the Steelers (4) would play the Bills (6).

Wild Card Weekend

If Jaguars win – Bills are out

Patriots (2), Bills (6), Steelers (4) win – Bills would play Broncos in Divisional Round

Chargers (7), Bills (6), Steelers win (4) – Bills would play Steelers in Divisional Round

Patriots (2), Bills (6), Texans win (5) – Bills would play Broncos in Divisional Round

Chargers (7), Bills (6), Texans (5) win – Bills would play Texans in Divisional Round

Is there a chance that the Bills could have a final home game at Highmark Stadium?

The team with the highest seed gets home advantage throughout the playoffs. So the only way that the Bills would be able to have a home game is if both the Bills and the Chargers make it to the AFC Championship. Otherwise, they will have to travel to the other 5 teams that are seeded ahead of them.

It’s slim, but yes, there is still a chance.

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