NFL playoff picture: What does Bills-Bears mean for AFC standings

Results: Buffalo came away with the 35-13 victory over Chicago. While the Bears have been eliminated from playoff contention, the Bills have locked up the AFC East divisional title. This is their third consecutive season winning the division, and this has them locked into a top-four seed in the AFC playoff bracket. With the loss, Chicago retains the projected No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.

The Buffalo Bills and Chicago Bears square off at Soldier Field on Saturday for a Christmas Eve matchup of two teams heading in opposite directions this season. The Bears have already been eliminated from playoff contention while the Bills are competing for the No. 1 seed. The game kicks off at 1 p.m. ET and the Bills are an eight-point road favorite at DraftKings Sportsbook.

Bills playoff picture

Buffalo is 11-3 and sitting in first place in the AFC East and are three games up on the Dolphins. The Bills can clinch the division with a win or tie, or a Dolphins loss or tie against the Packers.

The Bills are tied with the Chiefs for first place in the overall AFC standings. Buffalo won the head-to-head matchup so they have the tiebreaker edge. If the Bills win on Saturday and the Chiefs lose, Buffalo could clinch the No. 1 seed with a win in Week 17. If the Bills lose, they would drop into second place in the conference if the Chiefs beat the Seahawks, or would remain in first if the Chiefs lose.

Tiebreaker implications

This can impact the common games tiebreaker with the Dolphins if they finish tied for first in the AFC East after Week 18.