NFL Week 7 power rankings: Buffalo Bills nestled in the back

The Buffalo Bills lost a heartbreaker to the Houston Texans last Sunday, in another game where the defense played lights-out and the offense played like the lights were out.

Outlets are starting to warm up to the Bills as “definitely not the worst team in the league,” thanks to their early wins and strong defense, but they’re settled right in the thick of the back of the pack. Read on for this week’s power ranking lineup.

ESPN gave Buffalo a slight boost from 29th to 28th in their power rankings, and noted that the Bills only have a 2.9 percent chance of making the playoffs (given their current playing abilities). The 1-5 Colts are still ranked ahead of the Bills, but that will change this week if Buffalo can upset the betting favorite with one of their backup quarterbacks under center.

The Bills dropped from 29th to 30th in The MMQB’s weekly staff poll. The staff writer was not impressed with the way Buffalo handled its quarterback situation this year (shock and awe).

Despite their loss, the Bills actually moved up one spot in the SB Nation power rankings, from 30 to 29. That continued a climb from the week prior, when the Bills rose from 31 to 30 after beating the Tennessee Titans.

Vinnie Iyer at The Sporting News was higher than anyone on the Bills last week (with a lofty 25th overall ranking), but he dropped the Bills two places to 27 after their loss to Houston. Iyer likes Buffalo’s defense, but not their tendency to turn the ball over on offense.

In the USA Today power rankings, the Bills remained at 28, and the author shared some sympathy for quarterback Nathan Peterman.

The Bills fell one spot in The Associated Press poll, from 26 to 27. That makes them the worst-rated team with 2 wins.