Bills vs. Dolphins Week 18 Kickoff Time Set for AFC East Title Game

The Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins' winner-take-all battle for the AFC East will appear on the peacock-branded airwaves of NBC.

The Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins will wait all day to settle the AFC East on Sunday night.

In announcing its full slate for the 18th and final week of 2023-24 regular season action, the NFL saved the potential best for last, placing the Bills' duel with the Dolphins in the 8:15 p.m. ET slot on NBC, part of its "Sunday Night Football" package.

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A win over the Dolphins in South Beach would provide Buffalo with the AFC East crown for the fourth consecutive season, as they would earn a sweep of the yearly divisional couple. Buffalo previously took a 48-20 decision from the Dolphins on Oct. 1 at Highmark Stadium. The Bills own a 7-1 mark against the Dolphins in this new decade, a mark that includes a 34-31 win in last January's AFC Wild Card round.

Miami (11-5) had a chance to wrap up the division on Sunday but was dismantled in a 56-19 shellacking by the Baltimore Ravens, who wrapped up the AFC's top seed and the first-round bye that comes with it. The Dolphins have not won the AFC East since 2008. 

If Buffalo falls on Sunday, results in other Week 18 games would determine their fate: as it stands, the Bills hold the second AFC Wild Card and the sixth overall seed. The first tiebreaker, barring a head-to-head match, would be conference record. 

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The current final Wild Card holders are the Indianapolis Colts, who are 9-7 but have posted a 7-4 record in conference play, better than both Buffalo and the only remaining pursuers, Houston and Pittsburgh. All but Buffalo will play on Saturday: Pittsburgh faces the potentially resting Ravens in Baltimore (4:30 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN) while the Texans and Colts meet in Indianapolis in the nightcap (8:15 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN). Buffalo has faced none of the trio in question this season.