Five weeks in, the Buffalo Bills reside in a somewhat unfamiliar position. They are in second place in the AFC East, which has been the high watermark for the team over the past two decades.

Barring some Titanic collapse by the Bills and some miraculous recovery by the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins, Buffalo should be in line for at least the runner-up spot in the division.

The new atmosphere that the team has is the feeling that this team should make the postseason.

Here are the major questions: Is this edition of the Buffalo Bills truly playoff-caliber? And, should the Bills be satisfied with a second trip to the postseason in three years?

To answer this, we should probably take a step back.

The 2017 season was a massive surprise for the Bills. Somehow, they pulled off a 9-7 record with a bunch of substitute teachers on the roster. Several of the players on the starting units are now out of the league or play a minimal role on their respective teams.

That team was in the midst of a teardown. And they found a way to win.

This year, the team should plan to play in January.

From a competitive identity stand point, the team has taken a major step forward from last season with respect to the roster. The offensive line has improved, so has the receiving corps. Defensively, the young core has another season under its belt, and that experience can only help in the long run.

Josh Allen is making (knock on wood) fewer mistakes in Year 2. Yes, the hero ball is still rearing its ugly head at times, but it’s getting better. That’s what we want.

Is it enough for the playoffs?

Buffalo’s schedule is quite favorable this year. The New England, Philadelphia, Dallas, and Baltimore are the only teams remaining on the Bills schedule who are currently above .500.

Pittsburgh, although formidable, has fallen off without Ben Roethlisberger at the helm. Washington and Miami are actively working hard to not win games. Denver comes east to face off against a tough New Era crown. The Jets, in Week 17, might be rolling out the third-stringers to play out the season.

It’s all falling into place for a playoff run.

This doesn’t even include the dominance of the defense, a group that has primarily kept the ship afloat. If somehow this unit falters along the way, there should be massive concerns about the team’s offense keeping up the team’s head above water. Through five games, though, it doesn’t look as if this unit will fall off the deep end.

The Bills are second in yards allowed per game (275) and third allowed in points per game (14). They are also tied for fourth in the league in percentage of third-down conversions allowed (31-percent).

See, stats aren’t for losers.

There’s a great shot that Buffalo will see the postseason for the second time in head coach Sean McDermott’s three-year tenure at the helm of the Bills.

Buffalo is operating on a razor-thin margin thus far, sitting at plus-20 in point differential even though they sit at 4-1.

Thus, the rest of this season needs to be a commitment to moving beyond merely “playoff caliber” and finding a way to be a playoff contender.

They have fulfilled an early step in this process: knocking off teams who are weaker than themselves. Their only loss, a one-possession defeat at the hands of the New England Patriots, shows far more about this team’s prospects playing deeper into the postseason that they have participated in over two decades. The Bills ability to ground out a win at Tennessee also gives a good glimpse into how this team can pull off a victory even when they have not played their best game.

While the team should focus on the game at hand, or, one week at a time in coachspeak, more will be uncovered about the Bills true playoff prospects when they face off against the true playoff contenders.

The final weeks should be dedicated to getting the offense to produce on a consistent basis. It’s all about getting Josh Allen to continue his growth. The team will go with Allen, and they have found ways to minimize the impact of his mistakes. His triumphs, though, have been impressive as well. More of those and fewer mistakes may lead Buffalo to their first home playoff game since the mid-nineties.

The conditions are set up for Buffalo to make a serious run at winning their first playoff game in ages. Several fans who fly through tables at New Era Field may not have witnessed the Bills last playoff win in 1995. It’s not enough to just make the show; it’s time to make some noise in the performance. Thus, a loss in the first round of the playoffs will be more devastating than not making the playoffs at all.

However, it shouldn’t be shocking if the 2019 season replaces 1995 as the Bills last playoff win. In fact, it should be the expectation.

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