NFL playoff standings: How Bills' win over Chiefs in Week 11 impacts AFC's No. 1 seed race

Entering Sunday's matchup, the Chiefs had looked remarkably vulnerable and unsinkable at the same time this season, and the Bills knew all about how it felt to be on the losing end of a nail-biting game against Patrick Mahomes.

However, this time around, Josh Allen and the Bills pulled out a close matchup against Kansas City. The Buffalo quarterback's 26-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter sealed an intense victory, continuing the Bills' regular season success over the Chiefs.

Arguably no team has been better than Buffalo at getting the best of Kansas City during the regular season. The Bills have now won each of their last four regular season contests against the Chiefs, all of which were played at Arrowhead Stadium. Last season's matchup even ended in some controversy when a would-be Chiefs touchdown was wiped out by a Kadarius Toney offsides penalty. 

While Allen and the Bills came away with a home victory over Kansas City this time around, the playoffs are an entirely different story. Buffalo doesn't have to worry about that just yet, though. Its win on Sunday ended the Chiefs' bid for an undefeated season and suddenly tightened the race for the AFC's top seed with plenty of time for the Bills to make up more ground.

Here's a look at the AFC playoff standings after the Bills' 30-21 win over the Chiefs and how that matchup impacted each team's outlook. 

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AFC playoff standings

The Chiefs entered Week 11 with a 1.5-game lead over the Bills atop the AFC, earning some cushion with an unbeaten start to the season. 

After facing Buffalo on Sunday, Kansas City still has to face two of the other AFC division leaders, scheduled for matchups against the Texans and Steelers in December. The opportunity is still there for Buffalo or Pittsburgh to rise to the top of the conference, especially after the Bills victory in Week 11.

Here's how Buffalo's win over Kansas City impacted each team's outlook.

Chiefs playoff picture

The Chiefs were sitting comfortably atop the AFC at 9-0, even if most of their wins had been anything but comfortable. That 1.5-game advantage over the Bills came in handy with their loss, as Kansas City now owns just a 0.5-game lead over Buffalo for the top seed in the AFC. However, with games still to come against the lowly Panthers, Raiders and Browns, Kansas City still has a clear path to the AFC's only bye.

Even with Sunday's loss, Kansas City still has the clear advantage in the AFC West. Denver won to pull within three wins of the Chiefs, and the Chargers are 6-3 entering "Sunday Night Football," but even if Los Angeles wins its matchup against Cincinnati, Kansas City would own a two-game lead in the division. It'd likely take a significant collapse from Kansas City for the team to not win the AFC West, whether it secures the conference's top seed or not.

The Bills, however, now own the tiebreaker over the Chiefs and put pressure on Kansas City to keep its foot on the gas with only that half-game lead in the race for the No. 1 seed. Pittsburgh, fresh off of a win over the Ravens in Week 11, remains alive in that race as well, currently sitting one game behind Kansas City and a half game behind Buffalo.

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Bills playoff picture 

The Bills are hoping this season plays out the same way it did between the Broncos and Patriots in 2015. Denver entered a Week 12 matchup with the New England at 8-2, while the Patriots were 10-0. A Patriots win would have made Tom Brady and co. effectively a shoe-in for the No. 1 seed in the AFC. Instead, the Broncos won in overtime and slashed New England's advantage to one game while picking up the tiebreaker.

Both teams lost games down the stretch, but the Patriots lost one more. Denver earned the No. 1 seed on the final day of the season, and that likely made all the difference in the playoffs. The Broncos would narrowly survive the Patriots in the AFC championship and win the Super Bowl. 

The Bills face almost the exact scenario the Broncos did against the AFC's mightiest team, and their path to the No. 1 seed got a strong start with the Week 11 victory over Kansas City. Now just one game behind the Chiefs in the loss column, Josh Allen's squad has the tiebreaker over Kansas City as well. The Chiefs don't face a gauntlet of a schedule down the stretch, but with the close calls they've had, matchups against the Texans, Steelers, Chargers and even Broncos might not be so easy. 

In the AFC East, the Bills are coasting with a 4.5-game lead and the tiebreaker over the Dolphins, potentially setting up for a chance to clinch the division before Thanksgiving. 

Chiefs schedule vs. Bills schedule

The Chiefs will hit a light stretch of their schedule after Sunday's loss, with the Panthers and Raiders next followed by Justin Herbert and the Chargers. The toughest remaining stretch of Kansas City's schedule comes in late December with matchups against the Texans and Steelers just four days apart.

The Bills have to get through a bit of a gauntlet after their bye before a much lighter final three weeks. Buffalo hosts the reigning NFC champion 49ers in Week 13 before a road trip that includes the Rams and NFC-leading Lions. The Bills will finish up with two games against the Patriots and one against the Jets, with both teams 3-8 through 11 games.