Miami Dolphins' elimination has playoff impact on surging Buffalo Bills

And then there were nine.

By virtue of their Monday Night Football loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Miami Dolphins were officially eliminated from making the AFC Playoffs. With their three-game winning streak and scintillating comeback win over the New England Patriots last Sunday, the Buffalo Bills are suddenly sitting pretty for a berth and perhaps even a sixth consecutive AFC East championship.

The Dolphins' exit means there are now nine seven teams vying for seven spots. Pittsburgh's win also strengthened the likelihood that the Bills will open the playoffs on the road as a Wild Card team at either the Steelers or Jacksonville Jaguars. If the playoffs started this weekend the Bills would be the No. 6 seed and would play in Jacksonville.

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But with three games still remaining, the Bills could still rally past the Pats to capture the division. They have been fighting uphill since consecutive losses to the Pats and Falcons in October. But here comes Josh Allen.

The Bills, who have trailed at halftime of their last three wins, scored touchdowns on five consecutive possessions to erase a 21-0 deficit and keep the pressure on the Patriots. Buffalo has been the NFL's second-half team all season, amassing a point differential of +116.

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The Bills have a 99-percent chance of making the playoffs and still a 35-percent chance of winning the East. Should they take care of the lowly Browns in Cleveland on Sunday and the Pats stub their toe in a tricky game at Baltimore, things will get very interesting very quickly.