Aside from the top three teams (New England Patriots, Cincinnati Bengals, Denver Broncos) who have clearly separated themselves from the pack, the rest of the AFC playoff picture is wide open. There are seven clubs at 6-5 or 5-6 vying for the final three playoff spots. Two of those contenders will face off in a pivotal game on Sunday afternoon when the Houston Texans take on the Buffalo Bills.
Texans vs. Bills 2015 picks and predictions: Matchup between playoff hopefuls is a toss-up
There’s no consensus among the experts on whether the Texans can extend their winning streak to five games.
A month ago, the playoffs were a pipe dream for the Texans, who had stumbled to a 2-5 record and looked more likely to compete for a top-five draft pick than a postseason spot. Since then, they've ripped off four straight wins and are now tied atop the AFC South with Indianapolis Colts.
The key to their turnaround has been an utterly dominant defense that is suddenly playing up to its preseason expectations. Houston has allowed an average of 8.8 points and 250.5 yards during its four-game win streak, both of which are the best marks in the NFL since Week 8. Three of their last four opponents have failed to reach the end zone, and they gave up just two touchdowns in the month of November.
The defensive resurgence has been led by J.J. Watt, who has at least two sacks in four of his last five games and a total of 9.5 takedowns in that stretch. To put that into perspective, there are eight teams that have nine sacks or fewer over the past five weeks.
The Bills, meanwhile, are trending in the opposite direction heading into this crucial matchup. They’ve lost two straight and now find themselves buried in the playoff race as the AFC’s 10th seed. Buffalo is quickly becoming a long shot to snap its depressing 15-year postseason drought. Football Outsiders gives them just a 16.8 percent chance to reach the playoffs, the second-worst odds among the seven AFC teams hovering near .500.
Although the Bills have home-field advantage, they are no sure bet to win this game, according to the experts. Over at ESPN, eight of the 13 panelists have Houston. The guys at CBS Sports are split down the middle, with four taking each side. There’s similarly no consensus on the winner among our crew at SB Nation.
| Week 13 | Ryan Van Bibber | Stephen White | Joel Thorman | David Fucillo | Danny Kelly | Matt Ufford | PFT Commenter | OddsShark |
| HOU vs BUF | BUF | HOU | HOU | HOU | HOU | BUF | BUF | BUF |
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