Finding answers has proven difficult for the Bills over the past month and a half. A lack of consistency in many areas has cost them any wiggle room entering the final quarter of their season.
"Right now, we have no room for error," said Lee Evans. "We can still get in with 10 wins, there's a possibility, but we have no room for error at all. Moving, forward that's the mentality- that's our playoff, right now. If we lose again we'll be out of the hunt."
As bad a taste as Sunday's loss to San Francisco left in their mouth the players know they can't change the result now and must move forward.
"Any time you lose a game you're upset with it especially when you should have won or had an opportunity to win," said Ryan Denney. "It's not a good feeling after a loss like that. We're all trying to overcome that and come back and fight."
Despite the fact that the past six weeks have been largely unsuccessful, Dick Jauron and his staff will keep the focus on what the goal was at the beginning of the season.
"I think the main thing for us to emphasize and we will and we have is that the playoffs are still a possibility and they're still within our reach," Jauron said.
At 6-6, however, Buffalo is looking up at the rest of the AFC East. They do play all three division rivals in the season's final four weeks in addition to another AFC conference member in Denver. If they want to they can still have a lot of impact on the way things end up in the division.
The Indianapolis Colts (8-4) and Baltimore Ravens (8-4) are the leaders for the two AFC Wild Card berths, but Baltimore has some difficult games left on their schedule with a three game stretch against Washington, Pittsburgh and a road date at Dallas all in the next three weeks.
The key for the Bills is not thinking about how they're going to win four games, but just one this Sunday in Toronto against Miami.
"Just not look at the big picture," said Jason Peters. "You've just got to take one at a time and at the end of the season we'll see what happens."
Some players believe being faced with this 'win-out' scenario before over the past few seasons may actually help them as they deal with it again down the stretch this year.
"I think that because we have been here before and we still know we have a chance mathematically, we got some help (in the division) and we've been in this position the last few years," said Denney. "So it's going to be a fight right to the very end and hopefully we can keep fighting."
The remaining schedule for Buffalo does not include a team without a winning record, and the Bills have yet to capture a win against such an opponent. Putting together a four-game winning streak at the end of the season much like they did at the beginning will be a tall task.
"It's not going to be an easy road," said Jauron. "The schedule remaining is in our favor in that it is our division, but our division is good. They're all good and then we step out of our division and play the Denver Broncos and they're a really good football team too. The road ahead is pretty clear and pretty tough. But they've got to like a challenge otherwise they wouldn't be in the NFL, so we'll get them back Wednesday and go after it."
