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OAKLAND, Calif. -- If the Buffalo Bills' back-to-back victories over the Cincinnati Bengals and Jacksonville Jaguars gave the team and its fans hope of an improbable run to the playoffs, those chances essentially were extinguished with a 38-24 defeat on Sunday at the hands of the Oakland Raiders. At 6-6, the Bills can finish no better than 10-6. Given the strength of the AFC West -- the Kansas City Chiefs (9-3) and Denver Broncos (8-4) hold the projected wild-card spots -- a 10-6 record is not likely to be enough to snap the Bills' 16-year postseason drought, especially given their weak 3-5 conference record. The Bills' flaws have been exposed, and now the playoffs effectively are out of reach. For 2½ quarters of Sunday's game, there was justified optimism that the Bills could mount a late-season run and remain in the playoff race. Sharp passing from Tyrod Taylor (8-of-9 in the first quarter for 102 yards) and a 54-yard run by LeSean McCoy helped extend the Bills' lead to 24-9 in the third quarter, but the momentum quickly shifted in Oakland's favor. Taylor completed just 10 of 26 passes for 89 yards after the first quarter, and his accuracy dipped considerably by the fourth quarter, when missing an open Sammy Watkins on a potential touchdown pass was among his several questionable throws. As the Bills' offense sputtered, a tired Buffalo defense appeared helpless against the Raiders' sixth-ranked offense. Playing without starting safety Aaron Williams and cornerback Ronald Darby, a secondary that has proven weak against lesser quarterbacks this season was little match for Derek Carr, one of the game's best young passers. A win on Sunday would have effectively locked up Rex Ryan to remain as coach and for the Bills not to opt out on Taylor's contract in 2017. Instead, a loss creaks open the door slightly for the Bills to make a coaching change after the season, although that remains unlikely. The bigger question is whether Taylor is worth the $30 million or so that he would be guaranteed if he is under contract after mid-March. With Watkins at his disposal on Sunday, Taylor's 55.8 quarterback rating was a massive disappointment.
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