It feels like just yesterday that the Buffalo Bills were preparing to kick off their 2024 campaign, an offseason’s worth of ridicule from national pundits and opposing fans alike fresh in their minds. We collectively wake up on November 25 with Week 13 of the season upon us, and the Bills—get this—are actually still good.
Buffalo sits at 9-2 ahead of its Week 13 bout with the San Francisco 49ers, the AFC East firmly in its control and the No. 1 seed in the AFC within its grasp. There are (somehow) only six games remaining in the 2024 season, and if the quality the Bills have displayed thus far this year didn’t give you confidence entering the home stretch, their opposition over the final six weeks of the season should. Buffalo’s remaining slate, though boasting some talented foes, is not immensely challenging on paper, as its remaining six opponents have a combined record of 29-39 through 12 weeks.
The team’s next opponent is San Francisco, who is coming off a 38-10 loss to the Green Bay Packers last weekend. Anybody who has watched football over the last couple of years could tell you that the 49ers are not to be overlooked, as they’ve appeared in the NFC Championship in four of the last five years; that said, they’ve been decimated by injuries this season (with quarterback Brock Purdy potentially being sidelined for Week 13) and simply don’t look like the team they once were. They’re tied for last place in the NFC West through 12 weeks at 5-6, their record matching that of the Los Angeles Rams.
Speaking of the Rams, that’s who the Bills visit at SoFi Stadium in Week 14. They’re akin to San Francisco in that they’ve been competitive in recent memory (winning Super Bowl LVI), but they, again, have been inconsistent this season. One should never assume victory when a team has to travel across the country, especially when you’re tasked with facing off against Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford, but this, too, is a winnable game.
Buffalo’s Week 15 clash with the Detroit Lions is not only the most significant remaining game on its schedule, but it's one of the more interesting games on the general NFL slate. The Lions have been dominant dating back to last season, their 10-1 record currently tied with the Kansas City Chiefs for the best in the league. This is a potential Super Bowl preview, and the eyes of the NFL world will be on Detroit on December 15.
The Bills close out their schedule with three divisional bouts, two against the New England Patriots and one against the New York Jets. Those teams are 3-8 and 3-9 at this point, respectively, and neither should present a threat to Buffalo; the Patriots are rebuilding, and the Jets are the Jets.
A team’s schedule is never a full indicator of their talent or ability, and any team can win a game on any given Sunday. That said, Buffalo’s remaining slate is quite favorable, especially once it gets past its next three games. One should never put the cart before the horse, but the team is in decent position to earn its first top-seeded finish in the AFC since 1993 this season, especially considering that it holds the head-to-head tiebreaker over Kansas City.
