As the Kansas City Chiefs hobbled and both Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow went down hurt, the Super Bowl door was flung open for Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills. But they have failed to present themselves as frontrunners.
Instead, it is Drake Maye's New England Patriots who govern the AFC East, on which the Bills have had a monopoly in recent years, while surprise defeats to the Atlanta Falcons, Miami Dolphins and, most recently, the Houston Texans have raised question marks.
Allen surged to MVP last season by way of his ability to elevate a roster deemed to be lacking the same kind of talent as others around the league. The absence of an outright No 1 receiving threat along with the faltering development of Keon Coleman has made for inconsistencies from Joe Brady's offense, the likes of which are even hindering a star quarterback capable of winning games on his own.
The Bills now face the Pittsburgh Steelers, led by a returning Aaron Rodgers, sitting 7-4 and seeking to avoid any playoff slip-ups across the final six games of the regular-season.
"I don't think the Bills know who they are," said SportNews NFL's Phoebe Schecter on Inside the Huddle.
"They have signed another receiver - Brandin Cooks - but I think they are feeling like 'we have nobody to throw this ball to'.
"Keon Coleman is, again, having behavioural issues. There is a lot of noise. When he was out there, he and Josh Allen weren't always on the same page.
"You can see already Josh Allen trusts Gabe Davis more than perhaps Keon Coleman. But James Cook is where it is. It's Josh Allen and James Cook, and that is not a way to live."
Cook has been the heartbeat of Buffalo's offense for a large part of the period since Brady was promoted to offensive coordinator in place of the fired Ken Dorsey. He has carried the ball 199 times for 1,084 yards and eight touchdowns in addition to 24 catches for 203 receiving yards and a score so far this season; with some of his quietest days have come some of Buffalo's worst performances. Go figure.
"We understand where we're at," Buffalo quarterback and reigning NFL MVP Josh Allen said. "At the same time, we have full confidence in ourselves. But ultimately it comes down to executing on game days. We've had some good, we've had some bad throughout the year."
Sean McDermott's side are coming off a 23-19 defeat to the Texans in which Allen was sacked a career-high eight times by a Will Anderson-inspired defense. The Bills enter Sunday having seen starting left tackle Dion Dawkins and starting right tackle Spencer Brown ruled out, with TJ Watt and the Pittsburgh front lying in wait.
The Steelers arrive after suffering a 31-28 defeat to the Chicago Bears behind backup quarterback Mason Rudolph.
Rodgers returns to the lineup this week having missed the game in Chicago with a broken left wrist.
"He was a full participant today with no designation for the game," head coach Mike Tomlin said following Friday's practice. "So it's all systems go."
Pittsburgh are 6-5 and sitting top of the AFC North having seen the Cincinnati Bengals help them out with victory over the Ravens (6-6) on Thanksgiving.
"This is a team, when it comes to this time of year, they want to be physical, dominant, and run the football," said Schecter.
"That becomes their identity. You know Mike Tomlin is a guy who wants to be able to force his identity on every opponent he comes against, so with Kenneth Gainwell in and Aaron Rodgers back this weekend, it gives that team a bit of life.
"That is not to say Mason Rudolph hasn't done a decent job - were there that many plays where you really thought Rodgers would have made that? I don't think it was that different for the Steelers, unfortunately, which opens up a bigger conversation for another day."
Bill Belichick famously claimed the NFL season truly begins following Thanksgiving. As the festive period approaches, the NFL's contenders know it is make-or-break time for their January schedules.
"It's starting to head into that December area," said Steelers inside linebacker Patrick Queen. "You kind of start getting that feeling. The air gets a little thin. It's cut-throat time."
Watch the Buffalo Bills face the Pittsburgh Steelers live on SportNews NFL from 9.25pm on Sunday.
