Right now, the Buffalo Bills are sitting in a wild-card position in the AFC playoff picture, not leading the AFC East but very much in line for a postseason berth.

Current playoff standing

  • Recent mid-December projections have the Bills around the No. 6–7 seed in the AFC, meaning they’re in, but without home-field advantage. Their record has been listed at 9–4 in updated playoff outlooks, which keeps them firmly in the wild-card mix.
  • In AFC-wide seeding tables, Buffalo appears behind teams like the Broncos, Patriots, and Chargers, but ahead of fellow contenders such as the Texans and Colts, giving them a bit of cushion in the race.

AFC East situation

  • In the division, New England is on top, with Buffalo a couple of games back, so the Bills are currently chasing rather than controlling the AFC East crown.
  • Because of that gap and tiebreaker issues, most current breakdowns frame Buffalo’s most realistic path as locking down a wild-card slot rather than expecting to overtake the Patriots late.

Playoff odds and scenarios

  • Recent probability models give the Bills a very strong chance—mid‑90% range—to reach the postseason, reflecting both their current record and remaining schedule quality.
  • Even if they miss out on the division title, scenario rundowns say they are well positioned to secure one of the three AFC wild-card spots as long as they avoid a late-season collapse against conference opponents.

Key remaining games

  • Matchups against teams like the Patriots and Eagles are flagged as swing games that could shift their seeding up or down, while games versus the Browns and Jets are viewed as ones Buffalo is “expected” to win if it wants to solidify its spot.
  • Analysts note that a strong finish (pushing into double‑digit wins and beyond) keeps the Bills in the “dangerous wild-card” tier—nobody’s top seed, but a team no one wants to see in January.

TL;DR: In terms of “where do the Bills stand in the playoffs,” they’re not leading the AFC or their division, but they currently sit in a solid wild‑card position with high odds to make the postseason if they finish the schedule reasonably strong.