Buffalo Bills' Blowout of Dallas Cowboys 'First Step' In Playoff Push

The Buffalo Bills played arguably their best game of the season in a 31-10 dismantling of the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, but there is still work to be done.

The Buffalo Bills have had a roller-coaster of a season, but it seems like they're finding their groove at just the right time.

After upsetting the Kansas City Chiefs on the road, the Bills came home and dismantled the Dallas Cowboys 31-10 on Sunday. It was pure domination from start to finish, as Buffalo ran all over the Cowboys' defense while keeping Dak Prescott and the offense in check. In the span of just a few weeks, the Bills have gone from a playoff long shot to a team that no one wants to see in January.

That said, the entire season still matters, and while the Bills have managed to improve their playoff odds, they're not yet out of the hole they dug themselves.

In fact, Buffalo would be out of the playoffs if the season ended today. The Bills moved up from 11th in the AFC to ninth after Week 15, but they still lose tiebreakers to the other three 8-6 teams, those being the Cincinnati Bengals, Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans.

Bills quarterback Josh Allen on the run during Sunday's game against the Cowboys / © Mark Konezny, USA TODAY

While Sunday's demolition of the Cowboys was great, the Bills know their work is far from done.

"I think in this locker room, the great thing is that we understand this was a great victory," center Mitch Morse told reporters. "We're gonna enjoy this against a good team, but winning this game is just kind of the next step in what our ultimate goal is which is to make the playoffs first and then go from there. We still have an uphill battle but this was a great first step."

The Bills aren't entirely in unfamiliar territory, though. They were also sitting at 7-6 late in the 2021 season, but won their last four games to clinch the AFC East and the conference's third seed. As the Bills prepare to make a similar push in the home stretch of this season, they'll look to draw on that past experience.

"I think the type of guys that we have in the locker room … I think that's what Beane and McDermott have done such a good job of in terms of bringing guys in that have that type of chip, have that type of mentality and when your back's against the wall, you find a way to get out of it," quarterback Josh Allen said.

Games against the Los Angeles Chargers and New England Patriots should be winnable for Buffalo (emphasis on "should"), but the regular-season finale against the Miami Dolphins is the major hurdle. With the Dolphins having a much tougher schedule than the Bills, it's very possible that the Week 18 showdown could decide the AFC East winner.

One thing's for sure, though. If the Bills keep playing like they did on Sunday, anything is possible.

Bills' Playoff Chances Partly Benefit From Saturday Games

"I think we've definitely found ourselves as a team," defensive tackle Ed Oliver said. "We're starting to play with a lot of swagger, a lot of juice. We're not in the playoffs right now but the main thing is just having that juice, that swagger that when we go out there, we're all as one.

"When we're playing like that, that's how you get into the playoffs."