Buffalo Bills stay in the Top 10 in this week’s power rankings

This is a recap of where the Buffalo Bills sit in some power rankings heading into Week 7.

After the first four games of the season, the Buffalo Bills were typically ranked inside the Top 5 of most power rankings. However, after two straight losses, the Bills continue to slide down and almost out of the Top 10.

This is a recap of some of the power rankings ahead of Week 7.

ESPN: Buffalo Bills drop three spots to eighth

Last Week: 5

ESPN was the only one the power rankings to release last week’s edition prior to the Bills game, which was played on Tuesday night. This week, the Bills drop from fifth to eighth and the theme was the most impactful injury for every team. There is no question that it has been Matt Milano and Marcel Louis-Jaques wrote:

"When Milano doesn’t play, the middle of the Bills’ defense is exposed, especially in the passing game. Now in a contract year, Milano presents a conundrum for Buffalo’s front office: He is too valuable to let walk in free agency, but his injury history might put a cap on what type of salary he can command."

This is certainly the challenge general manager Brandon Beane is going to face this offseason. There is no question that Milano is incredibly talented but he has missed 31 out of the last 38 games since the start of the 2018 season.

NFL.com: Bills drop only one to eight

Last Week: 7

Similar to ESPN, Dan Hanzus ranked the Bills eighth in the NFL but dropped only one spot since they saw their big drop last week. Hanzus wrote:

"Playing in rainy conditions, Allen never looked comfortable in another outing that recalled memories of his bumpy rookie year. Meanwhile, the defense is now officially A Problem."

He sums up the two big issues for the Buffalo Bills the past few weeks in these two sentences. After such a great start to the year, Josh Allen has been wildly inaccurate these past few games, especially against the Kansas City Chiefs.

As for the defense, this is probably the most shocking development of the season. This was a group that was Top 5 last year and brought back a majority of their starters. The absence of Matt Milano can’t be the only issue and the coaching staff will have their work cut out for them to fix this part of the team.

Bleacher Report: Bills remain at eight

Last Week: 8

For most of the season, Bleacher Report has typically ranked the Buffalo Bills a little lower than the other power rankings in this group. However, even with a loss to the Chiefs, the Bills remained at eight overall.

"It wasn’t just Allen, either. Buffalo’s run game continued to struggle with Devin Singletary and Zack Moss combining for 42 yards on 15 carries. Rookie running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire peeled off 161 yards on 26 carries against a Bills run defense that had no answers all night long."

They note another big issue that has really been around all season. The Buffalo Bills have really struggled to establish the run but with the way Allen was playing to start the year, it didn’t really matter. However, now with Allen not playing at an MVP level, the team could really use production from the run game.

CBS Sports: Buffalo Bills drop one spot to ninth

The final power ranking has the Buffalo Bills the lowest at ninth overall. Pete Prisco wrote about the Bills this week:

"They have lost two straight games and the offense has sputtered. They have to get back on track, and the Jets are the perfect team to make that happen this week."

While the two losses have been disappointing, it did come against the two teams that were in the AFC Championship Game. While it would have been great to see the Bills come away with a win in either of these contests, these are not pushovers by any means.

Fortunately for the Bills, they do a chance to fix some issues against a winless New York Jets team as Prisco notes.