Buffalo Bills rest, rise in Week 7 NFL power rankings

The Buffalo Bills took a week off to rest and refocus, but the team still managed to rise in most outlets’ weekly power rankings. With some teams that had been ranked ahead of them facing road blocks this week, the Bills—who at 4-1 are currently second in both the AFC East and the AFC—rose because others fell.

Despite Buffalo’s sterling record, Vinnie Iyer at The Sporting News continues to rank the team outside of his top ten. Iyer has Buffalo ranked No. 11, behind a host of 4-2 teams (all of which, truthfully, are very good teams who very well may be better than our Bills). Iyer writes that the Bills’ bye comes at a great time, as the team needs to “figure out how to help Josh Allen and the offense better complement a strong defense.” He notes that Buffalo’s upcoming schedule, which includes match-ups with the Miami Dolphins, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington, Cleveland Browns, Miami again, and the Denver Broncos is quite favorable.

Scott Bair at NBC Sports actually has Buffalo down a spot from last week, as the Bills fell to No. 8 this week. His blurb is short, but telling: “The Bills have one of the league’s best records. Still doesn’t feel like they’re one of the league’s best teams.” The Bills absolutely have one of the league’s best defenses, but they have yet to put it together on offense. Bair’s point makes sense, even if I don’t agree with it.

Mark Maske at The Washington Post ranked Buffalo No. 7 this week, up one spot from their pre-bye-week ranking. Buffalo is one spot ahead of the Baltimore Ravens in this list. Maske also notes Buffalo’s upcoming schedule as being something that should lead to increased success.

Doug Farrar at USA Today has Buffalo ranked all the way up at No. 6, the same spot he had them prior to the bye. He notes that Buffalo should be able to handle Miami this weekend, as either of the Dolphins’ quarterbacks should struggle with the Bills’ defense. He asks a question that all Bills fans are asking, as well: How far can this team go? He thinks the team has the ability to upset “the few squads more complete and potentially explosive.” He also thinks that the upcoming stretch of their schedule makes Josh Allen an obvious target in fantasy football.

Jake Rill of Bleacher Report ranked the clubs without explanation, including only their Super Bowl odds in his list. He has Buffalo at No. 8 overall this week. The Bills’ Super Bowl odds are +3000, meaning that a $100 bet would net you $3,000.

ESPN has Buffalo at No. 8 overall, up two spots from last week. The theme for this week is each team’s biggest problem, and Buffalo’s is fairly obvious: turnovers. Marcel Louis-Jacques notes that the problem is “fixable,” saying that Buffalo will be incredibly dangerous if it just takes care of the ball better. The Bills are currently “ranked fifth in average time of possession, ninth in first downs per game and 11th in yards per game.” If they can stop giving opponents the ball back before they can score themselves, then Buffalo’s offense will look even more dangerous.

Finally, Pete Prisco at CBS Sports has Buffalo ranked No. 6, up one spot from last week. Prisco calls this Sunday’s game against the Dolphins “a relatively easy game,” but no divisional game should be taken for granted. Prisco notes that, for the Bills, “it’s time the offense got cranked up to complement the defense.” This Sunday should give Buffalo a great opportunity to do just that.