The Buffalo Bills move up most power rankings with their win over the Seattle Seahawks.
The Buffalo Bills for the most part have sat in the bottom half of the Top 10 of most power rankings. This past week though they made a statement with a 44-34 win over the Seattle Seahawks.
Now that they have won three straight, including that big win over the Seahawks, the Bills have started to find themselves in, or near, the Top 5. This is a recap of where they rank among some power rankings.
ESPN: Buffalo Bills move up one spot to number 6
Last Week: 7
The Buffalo Bills last week moved up one spot to seven after their win over the New England Patriots. However, they got a boost of two spots to number six after Week 9. Marcel Louis-Jacques answered the question of what is new expectations for this team and responded with winning a playoff game:
"At this point, Buffalo shouldn’t simply expect to just make the playoffs; it needs to actually win a playoff game — and the Bills are talented enough to do so."
He certainly isn’t wrong in the fact that expectations need to be greater than just making the playoffs, which they have done two of the past three years. The 1995 season was the last time the Bills won a playoff game but also was the last time they won the AFC East, and the goal should be to achieve both this season.
NFL.com: Buffalo Bills sit just outside Top 5
Last Week: 8
Similar to ESPN, Dan Hanzus of NFL.com had the Buffalo Bills ranked sixth overall in the NFL. However, they moved up two spots from last week’s spot of eight.
"The Bills’ defense brought a blitz-heavy game plan of its own, forcing Wilson into four turnovers (two interceptions, two fumbles) that turned into 16 Bills points."
While Russell Wilson threw for nearly 400 yards, this was one of the best defensive performances of the season. The Bills did not make it easy for the Seahawks’ quarterback and were able to force him into mistakes with two interceptions and two fumbles.
While it was A.J. Klein who really shined with two sacks and one of those fumbles, this was a big game for some of their stars. They got big performances from Tremaine Edmunds and Tre’Davious White, and the hope is this the start of a strong second half for these players.
Bleacher Report: Buffalo Bills ranked fifth
Last Week: 8
The power rankings on Bleacher Report saw the biggest jump from last week by going from eight to fifth.
"“What’s the best way for an offense to get back on track? Play an awful defense,” Sobleski added. “Allen and Co. struggled over the previous four weeks, but the Seahawks proved to be the perfect salve. A 44-point, effort helped reestablish the previous Bills offense seen over the first month. Now, Buffalo has cemented itself as the AFC East’s best squad.”"
As Brent Sobleski notes, the Bills offense has struggled recently. In particular Josh Allen, who fell well off the pace he set over the first four weeks. However, in the game against the Seahawks, he looked like that MVP candidate as he threw for over 400 yards with three passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown.
While Josh Allen won’t be able to put up these numbers every week, if he continues to limit turnovers as he did against Seattle, this team is going to be in a great position to come away with a win every week.
CBS Sports: Buffalo Bills finish fifth
Last Week: 6
Last week, Pete Prisco had ranked the Bills the highest at sixth and moved them up one more spot to fifth this week.
"Josh Allen showed against the Seahawks that he wasn’t an early-season fluke. He was special against Seattle, but the Bills defense still has issues."
As Prisco notes, the Bills defense did still have some issues and there were some times where there were just mental errors and they lost players.
However, the positive sign was that they didn’t fold as they have in some weeks. Instead, they played a bend, not break type defense, and made the plays when needed.