After a weak performance on both sides of the ball in a 27-20 loss to the Steelers that put the Bills’ chances for a playoff appearance on life support, the power rankings have started to reflect the team’s drop to the bottom half of the NFL standings.
SBNation only dropped the Bills two spots, down from 15 to 17. The Packers are up to 15 after a second straight win kept them alive in the NFC playoff picture. At 16, interestingly, is a team the Bills have beaten this season and remain ahead of in the standings: the 5-7-1 Cincinnati Bengals.
NFL.com was a bit more harsh, with Elliott Harrison dropping the Bills four spots to 20. He cited the fact that, despite the Steelers’ struggles in the passing game, the still allowed Le’Veon Bell to rack up 298 yards of offense on his own. The Titans and Texans both jumped past the Bills, while the Colts and Vikings stayed put and allowed the Bills to fall past them.
ESPN, which always seems to be the harshest of the bunch on the Bills, dropped them seven spots from 18 to 25 this week. The correctly point out that the Bills have allowed 28.3 points a game since Week 7 (a stretch that begins with the 41-25 loss to the Patriots). Only the Browns and 49ers, two teams who are a combined 1-25 this year, have allowed more in that time. The list of teams that were behind the Bills last week and ahead of them this week is a long one: the Titans, Texans, Bengals, Chargers, Panthers, Saints, and Colts.
I almost skipped The MMQB this week, but they somehow remain exactly where they were last week at 19. The Texans and Colts swapped spaces around the Bills, leaving them in a stasis that has lasted for just short of forever.