The Buffalo Bills, over the past month, have resembled anything but a consistent football team, and their playoff hopes have suffered as a result.
Over the past four games, the Bills have gone loss, win, loss, win, and are now the AFC's seventh seed at 8-4 with the division out of reach.
Given that the Houston Texans, who are right below Buffalo in the playoff pecking order, have already beaten the Bills, the sense of urgency is high as the AFC South franchise has the tiebreaker over Sean McDermott's team.
And the head coach knows one thing that his team can't afford to be in the final five games.
"I don't think we can afford to be inconsistent," McDermott said. "Not now, not that you can ever be, don't get me wrong, but our backs are against the wall, that's the way it is, and that's our mindset. I think we're all aware of some of that, but there's no time for that right now. So, we got to go."
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Bills face tough run-in
If you thought Buffalo's playoff spot was as good as secured, you couldn't be further from the truth.
With Joe Burrow and the resurgent Cincinnati Bengals up next, the Bills still have to play the New England Patriots and Cleveland Browns on the road, while also hosting the Philadelphia Eagles.
So, three of Buffalo's five remaining games are genuinely tough outings. And given how close the chasing pack is, the Bills can't afford to go win, loss, win, loss down the stretch.
McDermott knows it's go time for his team, starting with the Bengals in Week 14, which now has a whole lot riding on it from a playoff perspective.
Buffalo has been inconsistent of late. Now, it's got to stop.
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