The AFC standings may show that 10 teams are at least .500 and that the Buffalo Bills are one of them. However, that's only scratching the surface. When you look deeper, seven teams, including the Bills, stand out from the rest as playoff teams.

The 5-3 Cleveland Browns were exposed on Sunday, falling 27-6 to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the 4-4 Las Vegas Raiders had a four-game losing streak against quality opponents and the 4-4 Baltimore Ravens lost star quarterback Lamar Jackson for the season. And by the way, Baltimore's trade for quarterback Jacoby Brissett will not save them.

The AFC playoff race is about to get boring pic.twitter.com/d5QqvVHQBT

— Shaun Newkirk (@Shauncore) November 4, 2026

Buffalo and the other six teams in the AFC that are at least .500 will have at least a very high chance to make the postseason as long as they remain on their current trajectories, which means it's a good time to examine Buffalo's possible opponents for the playoffs.

This ranking from top to bottom will start with the opponent the Bills could dispatch the best and will go down to the team they would not want to face the most. Let's get started.

6. Pittsburgh Steelers

The Bills dismantled the Steelers 26-7 in Pittsburgh in 2025, and not much has changed besides Mike McCarthy replacing Mike Tomlin as head coach. The Steelers have run the ball well this season, ranking No. 1 in the NFL in rush EPA per play, but with Buffalo's improvements against the run, it will play right into the Bills' hands and allow them to tee off on Aaron Rodgers in his farewell tour.

On the other side of the ball, the Steelers did not sack Josh Allen despite the Bills starting two backup tackles, and with DJ Moore, they should have no issue moving the ball against Pittsburgh's defense.

5. Denver Broncos

This is an opponent that, if the Bills face them, the result may depend on where this game is played. Denver is 4-0 at home to start the year, and three of those games have been comeback wins. Conversely, they are 2-2 on the road with the two defeats coming convincingly at the hands of the Chiefs and 49ers.

We will get a good idea of what this matchup will look like at Mile High on Christmas Day, but Bills fans will hope this team does not have to go through more heartbreak like last season's playoff battle.

4. New England Patriots

The Bills and Patriots know each other very well, so creating a game plan to go against New England is not the hardest thing in the world. The Bills lost at home to Mike Vrabel's Patriots in both 2025 and 2026, and stopping Drake Maye and the NFL's No. 2 offense in terms of EPA will be a challenge.

What will work for Buffalo is that the Patriots' defense is in the middle of the pack, which will allow Allen and James Cook to gain significant yardage and keep pace with Maye and New England's attack.

3. Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs have been Buffalo's kryptonite in the postseason, with Josh Allen owning an 0-4 record against Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City in the playoffs. However, this Chiefs team has glaring flaws, like its inability to protect Patrick Mahomes and pressure opposing quarterbacks.

If the defense can make one stop in a critical moment, the Bills may just defeat Kansas City and make the Super Bowl, which Sean McDermott's teams could not.

2. Jacksonville Jaguars

The Bills and Jaguars went toe-to-toe in January, and the fact that it could have gone either way should leave Bills fans on their toes about possibly facing Jacksonville again, even in a stadium that's now a construction zone as it undergoes renovations.

There are no major holes on the Jags' roster, but the one thing Buffalo can take advantage of is Liam Coen's questionable game management, which cost him in Week 6 against the Texans in London.

1. Cincinnati Bengals

Given how poorly Buffalo's defense has performed this season, Joe Burrow and this offense should give Bills fans nightmares, especially with the defeat Cincinnati handed them four seasons ago in the divisional round.

The Bengals' defense has improved slightly from last season, but it is still a unit that Allen, Joe Brady and Co. can exploit. However, the lack of a game-changer on Buffalo's defense may smack them in the face as Dexter Lawrence creates the turning point in a projected matchup.