The Buffalo Bills are hosting the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 14, and the game could be critical to the job security of head coach Rex Ryan. There were two reports on Sunday stating that the Bills could fire Ryan before the end of the season.
Buffalo is 6-6 and stumbling along. They started the season with a pair of losses, but then won four straight, including a road win in New England before Tom Brady returned. They were in the mix but then lost three straight. A 2-1 record in the last three games leaves them with a chance at a wild card berth, but they are not impressing.
The Bills currently trail the Steelers 7-0 late in the first quarter. They could still turn this around, and if they were to beat the Steelers, they would have a big opportunity in front of them. Buffalo hosts Cleveland and Miami the next two weeks, and then closes out the season on the road against the New York Jets. All three are very winnable games.
If Buffalo beats Pittsburgh, they stand a decent chance of finishing the season 10-6. If they lose to Pittsburgh, they drop to 6-7, and at best can finish 9-7. But if you are Bills ownership, can you take much from wins against teams like the Browns and Jets? And even a win at home against Miami is not exactly a world-beater type of win.
If the Bills do fire Ryan, odds are pretty good his next job is either as a defensive coordinator, or on television. I would actually bet more on the latter given his big personality, but maybe someone wants to bring him in to coach their defense. I’d say maybe the 49ers, but we really have no idea what to expect from the 49ers front office and coaching staff when January arrives.