The Bills are the NFL's hot iron right now, having swept their AFC East foes for the first time in franchise history – while also setting a team record with 501 points this season.
Quarterback Josh Allen has come into his own, completing more than 69% of his passes for 4,544 yards, 37 passing TDs and 10 INTs, good for a 107.2 passer rating (behind only Aaron Rodgers, Deshaun Watson and Patrick Mahomes).
Buffalo is 9-1 straight up and 7-2-1 against the spread in its last 10 home playoff games. To top it off, home teams entering the playoffs riding exactly a six-game win streak are 7-0 straight up and 6-0-1 against the spread since 1999 in their first contest. After throttling Miami last week, how can they not continue, you ask?
For openers, the Bills are 0-6 straight up in their last six playoff games dating to 1996, not to mention 1-10 against the spread in the playoffs when coming off an against the spread win of seven or more points.
As Buffalo rides a wave of momentum heading into the NFL playoffs' first round against the Indianapolis Colts, The News takes a look back at the Bills' last five playoff results, beginning with last year's overtime loss to the Houston Texans.
The Colts enter 10-6 straight up and 11-5 against the spread in the postseason versus foes coming off a spread win of eight or more points, including 6-2 against the spread as an underdog.
Meanwhile, quarterback Philip Rivers is 6-2 against the spread as a playoff underdog, and 5-1 straight up and 4-2 against the spread in his career against the Bills.
Playoff road underdogs coming off a win-no-cover in its last game are 21-9-3 against the spread since 1994, including 18-4-2 against the spread when taking more than three points, including 9-1-1 against the spread versus opponents with a winning percentage of .750 or more. Remember, every scorching force cools off after reaching its apex.
Prediction: Bills over Colts by 3.
Marc Lawrence previews the NFL from a Vegas perspective. You can follow him online at Playbook.com or @MarcLawrence.
