Fitzmagic asserts Bills still have good shot to win AFC East

When you have Josh Allen, anything is possible.

That was the sentiment delivered by Thursday Night Football pregame hosts Ryan Fitzpatrick and Andrew Whitworth on their podcast this week.

The Buffalo Bills’ chances of overcoming the New England Patriots and winning their sixth straight AFC East title are sitting at 37%, per Next Gen Stats. And the Fitz and Whit duo presented their rationale for believing in the Bills and their quarterback to beat the odds and retain the division crown.

Don’t count them out

The Bills (10-4) are currently one game back of the Patriots (11-3) in the East standings. But Buffalo would hold the tiebreaker over New England in terms of conference record if it were to win its final three games, coupled with a Pats loss to one of the two divisional opponents remaining on their regular-season slate.

Fitzpatrick began his discussion with Whitworth by laying out a simple scenario.

“I have Week 18 circled,” added Fitzpatrick. “I just see (the New England Patriots’) Week 18 game against the Dolphins, who knows. You never know what’s going to happen in that game.”

He added, “I think the Bills can take care of Cleveland and the Jets. We’ll see against (the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 17). But it is at home against Philly.

“I’m telling ya, the Bills are not going away. And some of these wins they’ve had, especially (the Cincinnati Bengals and the Patriots), the last few weeks are crazy. But crazier things have happened than them winning the AFC East with the Patriots losing to Miami in the last week of the season.”

MORE: Buffalo Bills will face injury-riddled Browns team missing 3 key players in Week 16

Oct 30, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Amazon Prime analyst Ryan Fitzpatrick speaks during a broadcast prior to a game between the Miami Dolphins and the Baltimore Ravens at Hard Rock Stadium. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Rounding things out

The Patriots will finish the year with matchups against the Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets and Miami Dolphins, while the Bills will take on the Browns, Eagles and Jets to conclude their slate.

“Josh Allen has probably put himself right there in the MVP conversation again, if not leading it,” said Whitworth. “Josh will need some more heroics to happen, but he has definitely proven that he is that —what we’ve always said about Mahomes, Josh is that guy too.

“The reality is, his teams are never out. As long as Josh Allen is the quarterback, they’ve got a chance to win.”

The Bills will look to keep their hopes alive when they square off against the Browns (3-11) on Sunday. Buffalo could punch its ticket to the playoffs with a victory and a loss from either the Indianapolis Colts or Houston Texans. That would be the first step toward perhaps coming away with divisional glory for yet another year.

Bills Dolphins — Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is sacked by the Bills' Ed Oliver during Buffalo's 48-20 win in Orchard Park, N.Y., on Oct. 1, 2023. | Jamie Germano / USA TODAY NETWORK

It's happened before

The Bills are no strangers to comeback efforts within the division, as Buffalo previously stormed from behind to steal the AFC East title from the Miami Dolphins during the 2023 season. Midway through that campaign, the Bills were 6-6, but powered through five straight wins, including a Week 18 victory over Miami, and finished the year as division champs.

We'll see if they can do it again.

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