Now well into the home stretch of the regular season, the Buffalo Bills are 7-5, and in 2nd place in the AFC East after the New England Patriots. This weekend, the Bills will take on Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos at Mile High Stadium.
While running back C.J. Spiller is still rehabbing his collarbone injury, rookie wide receiver Sammy Watkins has returned to play. Since the Bills’ bye week in week 9, Watkins has accumulated 105 receiving yards although he has not scored any touchdowns. The expectations for the rookie are high as he has been instrumental in some of the Bills’ earlier wins this season. It was reported that Watkins said he must get back into the groove and get back to fundamentals. Spiller returned to practice earlier this week but remains on the Injured Reserve list and is not expected to play until week 16.
In regard to their division rivals of the AFC East, the Bills have had mixed results. Buffalo beat the Miami Dolphins in week 2 but lost to them in week 11. The Bills destroyed the Jets in late October and repeated the same results against them just shy of a month later. The team lost to the Patriots in October and will close out regular season play in week 17 on the road against them once more.
Buffalo managed to edge out the Detroit Lions and the Minnesota Vikings in 2 close games earlier this season, but struggled against the San Diego Chargers and Houston Texans. They also lost a close game to the Kansas City Chiefs.
While many sports analysts and critics doubt their contention, the playoffs are not out of sight for the Bills yet. If they are able to win their remaining games and depending on what happens with the Patriots’ remaining games, as well as what results in other divisions, they may be eligible for a wildcard spot.
