The playoff scenarios for this Week 18 NFL slate are dizzying, and Sunday’s game between the New York Jets and the Buffalo Bills has a significant impact on the AFC Wild Card picture.
Buffalo is a seven-point home favorite with -325 moneyline odds, while New York sits at +260 on DraftKings Sportsbook. The game total is set at over/under 38.5 points. Let’s dig into this Jets vs. Bills matchup.
Jets vs. Bills prediction, preview
Let’s lay out the playoff scenarios first. The Bills currently sit in the third and final wild card spot, and even with a win against the Jets, they’ll need some help if they want to improve their playoff positioning. The Chargers sit right above them in the standings, but will be resting some key starters in Week 18. A Bills win and a Chargers loss catapults Buffalo to the sixth seed. If the Texans lose, too, Buffalo jumps all the way up to the fifth seed. It may sound inconsequential, but consider who they’d play.
The seventh seed, in all likelihood, gets a road date with the Patriots. Cold weather isn’t a problem for the Bills, but it’s a very difficult matchup, nonetheless. The sixth seed is poised to meet either the Texans or Jaguars, depending on the results of their games — a much more favorable outcome. And the fifth seed gets to play the Steelers or Ravens, two teams that feel like polar bears in Arlington when you size up the entire AFC playoff field.
Jumping up to five also improves Buffalo’s chances of ducking the Denver Broncos in the AFC divisional round. They’re hungry, and Mile High Stadium will be rocking — not who I’d want to play. The season is on the line for Buffalo in some ways.
It’s a bad enough situation for the Jets. They’re down to third-string quarterback Brady Cook, riddled with injuries, and careening towards the bottom of the league once again. A once-solid defense is crumbling while a lifeless offense limps to the finish line. As if the talent gap wasn’t enough, Buffalo has all the motivation and will be out for redemption after how last week ended.
It’s a bad, bad time to be facing an angry Josh Allen.
Jets vs. Bills pick, best bet
I’m surprised the line isn’t more than one score here. Buffalo dismantled the Jets, 30-10, in Week 2, and New York’s fortunes haven’t improved since. Expect the Bills to control what they can and demolish the Jets once again. What happens after that is up to the football gods.
