What a Bills or Steelers win today means for AFC East, AFC North, NFL playoff picture originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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One of the most meaningful games in the NFL playoff picture kicks off at 4:25 p.m. ET on Sunday in Pittsburgh.
The Buffalo Bills are visiting the Steelers in a matchup of two playoff contenders that also wouldn’t mind winning their respective divisions, the AFC East and AFC North.
Each of them has a tricky path forward, one that will only be made tougher with a loss on Sunday.
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Here’s what’s at stake:
Why the Bills need a win
The Bills enter Sunday at 7-4. They’re three games back of the 10-2 New England Patriots in the AFC East.
If Buffalo loses here, the division race is pretty much over.
A Bills win at least keeps that hope alive.
Buffalo also is coming off a tough loss to the Texans in Week 12 and really would prefer not to have a losing streak.
They also are one game better than the Steelers right now, and if it came down to it at the end of the season for a wild card tiebreaker, the Bills would surely like to have head-to-head on their side.
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Why the Steelers need a win
Pittsburgh entered Week 13 tied atop the AFC North with the Ravens at 6-5, and then Baltimore lost on Thanksgiving night.
With a win, the Steelers will go a game clear at the top of the division standings. They’d also take a step away from the 4-8 Bengals who could be starting a run now that Joe Burrow is back.
The Steelers wouldn’t hold an active wild card spot at 6-6, either. So their best path to the playoffs might be to win the division.
And Pittsburgh’s best chance in the AFC North will come with a win on Sunday to give them a leg up on the Ravens with five games still to play.
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