We’re in for a fun one Sunday afternoon in western New York when the Buffalo Bills welcome the Dallas Cowboys to town.
Rain and heavy winds are in the forecast for a game that is highly anticipated before you factor in the potential for some perfectly sloppy football weather.
The stakes are abundantly clear for both teams. For the Bills, they need to just keep winning. Buffalo put itself in a hole with a 6-6 start to the season, but a huge win last week in Kansas City might have saved its season. The Cowboys, meanwhile, flexed their muscle last week against the Philadelphia Eagles in their most impressive win of the season so far.
It’s certainly not the craziest thing to wonder whether Sunday’s late-afternoon showdown in Buffalo is a potential Super Bowl preview.
Let’s start with the Bills, who obviously have a lot of work to do. The bad news for Buffalo is it has a 7-6 record, and is far from a lock for the playoffs. The Bills are basically a coin flip to make the playoffs at this moment. FanDuel Sportsbook has them at -106 to make the postseason and -114 to miss. They are one of six teams in the AFC with that 7-6 record, and they’re easily the most talented of the bunch. If they take care of business and get to at least 10 wins, you have to like their chances.
And if they get in, the Bills would be that cliche team no one wants to see. They would be riding a wave of momentum with Josh Allen at quarterback. Outside of Patrick Mahomes, there might not be anyone better at the position in the AFC.
While it might be a long shot, bettors who like the Bills oughta move now. As NESN.com’s Mike Cole pointed out, the Bills were as long as 35-1 to win the Super Bowl just a few weeks ago. Now, they’re down to 18-1 at FanDuel, and a win Sunday would send that number even lower.
As for Dallas, well, the Cowboys are in an interesting spot of their own. Despite looking like the much better team, their win last week against the Eagles just put them in a tie for first place in the NFC East. The Eagles have the much easier schedule coming in, despite their own issues and are considerable -320 favorites to win the division (Dallas is +240).
Dallas is also a long shot for the NFC’s top seed. San Francisco is -180 ahead of Philly (+195) and the Cowboys (10-1). The 49ers own the Cowboys, or at least have recently, and they might be the biggest hurdle Dallas will have to clear if it wants to get to Las Vegas in February for the Super Bowl. What’s interesting to consider, though, is whether San Francisco is built to withstand injuries. The Niners are pretty healthy right now, and if that continues, they’re the clear favorite to win it all. However, we have seen both in the playoffs and regular season that it doesn’t take much to throw that finely tuned machine out of whack.
A big win on Sunday will further legitimize the question NESN’s Ricky Doyle asked this week on “The Spread,” NESN’s football picks podcast, about whether the Cowboys are the NFL’s best team.
As far as the bold claim that Sunday could be a Super Bowl preview, the betting board isn’t totally against the idea. FanDuel offers some Super Bowl matchup odds where you can bet on the two teams who will be left standing. Here are some of the favorites:
Chiefs vs. 49ers +650
Dolphins vs. 49ers 8-1
Ravens vs. Eagles 15-1
Ravens vs. Cowboys 16-1
Chiefs vs. Cowboys 18-1
Chiefs vs. Eagles 17-1
Dolphins vs. Eagles 20-1
The potential Super Bowl matchup between the Bills and Cowboys, meanwhile? That’s sitting at 50-1 entering Sunday.
It’s a long shot, but it’s impossible to deny the talent for either team.
