Here is what you need to know on this Wednesday, December 16, four days before the Washington Redskins host the Buffalo Bills.

Five early thoughts on Redskins vs. Bills

—Don’t believe for a second that this game doesn’t really matter to the Redskins’ playoff chances. Record in common games could come into play if there is a tie between the Redskins and Giants when the season is over and Buffalo is a common opponent. The Giants beat them so if the Redskins don’t they will lose a game in that category. Only a few combinations of possible results will have the tiebreakers going that far down the line but the way this year has gone, the unlikely scenarios may be the ones that come into play.

—You look at the list of quarterbacks with a passer rating over 100 and you see some Super Bowl winners like Wilson and Brady, players who have made multiple playoff appearances such as Palmer and Dalton and—Tyrod Taylor. Yes, the former Virginia Tech star who sat on the bench behind Joe Flacco for four years is having himself a very good season. In terms of passer rating he is the second highest ranked quarterback the Redskins have faced this year, behind only Tom Brady. Looking at ESPN’s QBR, Taylor is behind only Drew Brees in that metric among the quarterbacks the Redskins have faced.

—The Bills cut popular running back Fred Jackson just before the season started, highlighting a power struggle between GM Doug Whaley and head coach Rex Ryan. A couple of months ago receiver Sammy Watkins complained to the media that he wasn’t getting the ball enough. Last week there was a report that Whaley’s future with the Bills is up in the air. Now that they have lost three of their last four and are 6-7 and on the brink of elimination from the playoff chase, things could get louder in Buffalo. Meanwhile, it’s pretty quiet in DC.

—Rex Ryan has not brought his trademark brand of tough defense to Buffalo at this point. They are 20th in terms of yards allowed and even worse, 24th, in Football Outsiders’ defensive DVOA. That represents a major drop off from last year when they were fourth in yardage and second in DVOA. They have suffered a few injuries but no more than most NFL teams.

—The Bills offense is solid. Watkins is happy now as one of Taylor’s favorite targets. He averages 18.4 yards on his 39 receptions and has scored seven touchdowns. Leading the way on the ground is a familiar face in LeSean McCoy, who is averaging 4.5 yards a carry.

Timeline

—Today’s schedule: Practice 11:35; Jay Gruden and Kirk Cousins news conferences and player availability after practice, approx. 1:30

—Days until: Bills @ Redskins 4; Redskins @ Eagles 10; Redskins @Cowboys 18

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