Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) takes the field prior to the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York on Nov. 16, 2025.

The Buffalo Bills have won five consecutive AFC East titles. Will they be able to continue that streak in 2025?

Buffalo finds itself behind in the AFC East standings entering Week 12. The division is currently led by the upstart New England Patriots, who have ridden an eight-game winning streak to the top.

The Patriots (9-2) are tied with the Denver Broncos with the best record in the NFL. The Bills (7-3) aren't too far behind, but since they lost to New England earlier in the season, Buffalo has some extra ground to make up in the divisional race.

While the Bills aren't in the driver's seat in the divisional race, Sean McDermott's squad enters Week 12 inside the AFC playoff picture. They are favored to make the postseason and could improve their chances with a "Thursday Night Football" win over the Houston Texans.

Here's where Buffalo stands in the AFC playoff picture entering its Week 12 matchup against Houston.

Bills playoff odds

The Bills may be behind in the AFC East race, but they enter Week 12 with an estimated 93% chance to make the playoffs, according to the NFL's Next Gen Stats.

Buffalo is currently the top wild-card team in the AFC by virtue of their 7-3 record. They have a two-game lead over the 5-5 teams that are presently just outside the seven-team postseason field, the Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans.

Bills remaining schedule

The Bills have the 14th-hardest remaining schedule over the last seven weeks of the season, per Tankathon. Buffalo will face three teams with winning records, with just two divisional matchups left to play.

Below is a look at the Bills' remaining opponents for the 2025 NFL season:

  • Week 12: at Houston Texans
  • Week 13: at Pittsburgh Steelers
  • Week 14: vs. Cincinnati Bengals
  • Week 15: at New England Patriots
  • Week 16: at Cleveland Browns
  • Week 17: vs. Philadelphia Eagles
  • Week 18: vs. New York Jets

AFC East standings

The Bills enter Week 12 in second place in the AFC East standings. Below is a look at the division's pecking order.

  1. New England Patriots (9-2)
  2. Buffalo Bills (7-3)
  3. Miami Dolphins (4-7)
  4. New York Jets (2-8)

The Bills will remain in second place in the AFC East standings regardless of their Week 12 result against the Texans. The critical game that may determine whether the Bills can catch the Patriots in the AFC East race will come when the two teams face off in Week 15.

New England won the first meeting between the two teams in Week 5 and currently owns a head-to-head tiebreaker over Buffalo. A season sweep would allow the Patriots to clinch the tiebreaker, while a Bills win would shift the potential tiebreaker focus to the teams' divisional records.

AFC playoff picture

  1. Denver Broncos (9-2; AFC West leaders)
  2. New England Patriots (9-2; AFC East leaders)
  3. Indianapolis Colts (8-2; AFC South leaders)
  4. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-4; AFC North leaders)
  5. Buffalo Bills (7-3; wild card No. 1)
  6. Los Angeles Chargers (7-4; wild card No. 2)
  7. Jacksonville Jaguars (6-4; wild card No. 3)

In the hunt: Houston Texans (5-5), Kansas City Chiefs (5-5), Baltimore Ravens (5-5), Miami Dolphins (4-7), Cincinnati Bengals (3-7), Las Vegas Raiders (2-8), New York Jets (2-8), Cleveland Browns (2-8), Tennessee Titans (1-9)

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bills playoff picture, odds, remaining schedule, AFC East division standings

Reporting by Jacob Camenker, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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