1 - Week 17 win would be a happy birthday for Hyde
A Bills win and some help would clinch the team's first playoff berth since 1999. It would be a great post-Christmas present for Buffalo. It would also make for a great birthday gift, and coincidentally enough, Dec. 31st, is Micah Hyde's birthday
"Once we win Sunday, I'll have a little cake and I'm going to hit him in the face with the cake," rookie cornerback Tre'Davious White said. "Like my little brothers use to do when I was younger."
That'd be quite the celebration. A trip to the postseason for the first time in 17 seasons and it's your 27th birthday.
Though Hyde's now 27, the age of 26 treated the safety well. He earned his first Pro Bowl selection in his first year in Buffalo. He's a huge reason why the team is playing meaningful football in Week 17 for the first time since 2004.
Hyde and his fellow safety, Jordan Poyer, have formed a close friendship on and off the field. Poyer explained what it would mean for Hyde to prevail in Week 17's must-win game.
"I'm sure it'd mean everything to him. I know he's going to say it'd mean everything to this team. It's just the guy he is," said Poyer. "But yeah of course, it's your birthday, to get a win on your birthday, can't go wrong with that."
2 - One eye on the Ravens
Today, Bills fans will be cheering for other teams besides their beloved Buffalo squad. None more than the Cincinnati Bengals, who can play spoiler on the Baltimore Ravens, which would greatly increase the Bills playoff hopes.
Bengals quarterback, Andy Dalton, discussed playing spoiler against their division rival.
"Yeah, I mean obviously if we can do that it'd be a good thing," said Dalton. "We're just trying to win. That's all it comes down to."
If the Ravens win, they clinch one of the two Wild Card spots that the Bills are fighting for. If Cincinnati can knock off Baltimore, Buffalo just has to win to get in to the playoffs.
The Bengals have momentum heading into their Week 17 matchup, as they played spoiler in Week 16. They defeated the Lions, 26-17, and eliminated them from playoff contention.
Bills linebacker, Preston Brown, who's from Cincinnati, knows he needs some help from his hometown team. At the end of the day, Buffalo has to take care of their business, too.
"Around the league, I know a lot of people on the Bengals, so I try to talk to them to see what they have going on," said Brown. "We have to handle our business and try to get a win down in Miami."
There are a lot of reasons to believe that the Bengals can pull of a Week 17 miracle. Their head coach, Marvin Lewis, may be coaching Cincinnati for the last time this weekend. He has a franchise-record 124 career victories as head man for the Bengals. That's the fourth-most among active head coaches.
For the Ravens, they ride on their quarterback, Joe Flacco, to lead them to success. Baltimore's 6-0 this season when Flacco post a passer rating over 90.0. Though, the Bengals defense has only allowed five QBs this season to go over a rating of 90.0.
Over the course of his career, Flacco's struggled against Cincinnati. He's thrown 17 touchdowns and 22 interceptions against the divisional opponent since entering the NFL in 2008. Also, he has an average passer rating of 74.8 in 18 games against Cincy. He's only had five games with a passer rating over 90.0 in those matchups.
It should be a great game in Baltimore, as the Bengals and Ravens have split the last four games at M&T Bank Stadium, all of which were decided by seven or fewer points. It should make for some stressful scoreboard watching, considering the Bills, Bengals, and Ravens all play at 4:25 p.m.
3 - Can the Chargers and Titans get knocked off?
At 8-7, the Bills, Chargers, and Titans are all fighting for a Wild Card spot in the playoffs. If the Bills win and those two teams lose, they're in. Here's who Los Angeles and Tennessee are taking on in Week 17.
The Chargers face will be home in L.A. against Oakland, a team they've struggled against in the recent past. The Raiders have won four of the past five games against the Chargers. In Week Six, L.A. beat Oakland 17-16, snapping a four-game losing streak to their division rival. The Chargers are looking to sweep the Raiders for the first time since 2014. In this one, Bills fans will be pulling for the Raiders to even the season series.
Another monumental matchup is the Jacksonville Jaguars at the Tennessee Titans. The Jaguars, who've already clinched the AFC South, are looking to roll into the playoffs with some momentum. Their head coach, Doug Marrone, announced on Tuesday that the team will not rest their starters. The Jags will play to win, even though they're locked in as the third seeded team in the AFC.
Ideally, Buffalo needs Baltimore, L.A., and Tennessee to lose. If the Ravens win, the next most likely scenario to get into the playoffs is a Bills win and both Chargers and Titans losses. All the teams fighting for the final two Wild Card spots kick off at 4:25 p.m., making for one stressful Sunday.
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