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Defining moment: An overtime loss in the 2021 divisional playoffs.

There have been plenty of noteworthy moments for the Bills this year -- the signing of Von Miller is a strong candidate -- but the loss to Kansas City led to the Miller signing, impacted the Super Bowl expectations for this season and kept a chip on the team's shoulder. The second straight playoff loss to the Chiefs played a part in some of the offseason moves that followed and made the regular-season win over Kansas City in Week 6 that much more impactful. Now, the Bills have two games left to secure home-field advantage to avoid a potential third straight postseason trip to Arrowhead Stadium.

The Bills won in the trenches at frigid Soldier Field to clinch another AFC East title. Devin Singletary and James Cook combined for 205 rushing yards and two scores, while the Buffalo defense clamped down on Justin Fields, holding the 1,000-yard rushing quarterback to just 11 yards on the ground. The Bills coasted to the win in the second half, but keep an eye on Josh Allen's propensity for making dangerous throws. The star QB threw two interceptions on Saturday and could have had at least two others if the Chicago defense had been more opportunistic. It's an area of Allen's game that needs to be cleaned up ahead of playoff football.

They continue to play well as they push for the top seed, but the game at Cincinnati Monday won't be easy. They can't afford to lose that if they want the playoffs to go through Buffalo.

Only the lowly Colts have more turnovers than Buffalo's 24. Make too many mistakes in that, well, massive Monday night matchup in Cincinnati, and the AFC East champs could fall from first place in the conference to third.

After a sluggish start in freezing Chicago temperatures, the Bills outscored the Bears 29-3 in the second half, upping their league-best scoring differential on the season to 157. Devin Singletary and James Cook combined for 205 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries as their second-half resurgence continued.

Man, does next week's Monday nighter loom large. If the Bills can pull out the win in Cincinnati, they'll be able to lock up the AFC's No. 1 seed with a win over the Patriots in Week 18. A loss — presuming the Chiefs take care of business over the final two weeks — would not only lose the Bills home-field advantage and the accompanying bye, but it could also drop them to the No. 3 seed and possibly set up a rematch in Cincinnati for the divisional round.

The Bills will be an unstoppable force in the postseason if they run as well as they did against Chicago. The Bills entered Week 16 with the 26th-ranked offense in expected points added per rush; they hadn't had a game this season when they'd rushed for more than 175 yards. Led by Devin Singletary (106 yards) and James Cook (99), the Bills rushed for more than 250 yards and finished the week second in EPA per rush in a truly dominant win over the Bears. Winning 35-13 in a game in which Josh Allen completed only 58 percent of his passes and threw two picks is an example of balance and shows that the Bills have a margin for error that the rest of the AFC should be scared of.

The Bills are a top-five defense in most measures. The real test will be Week 17 in a season-turning game at Cincinnati. If the Bills want to be remembered as a championship defense, that's the game Buffalo needs to have.

They haven't lost since that rollercoaster ride against the Vikings. Maybe they won't lose again.