After watching the Buffalo Bills thrash the mostly listless Baltimore Ravens in Week 8, Bills Mafia is once again buying what Buffalo’s selling. Now 6-1 and in sole possession of first place in the AFC, the Bills currently control their playoff destiny. Hopefully that includes earning the one seed, but there’s plenty of football to play before deciding that situation.
As is true with most seasons since quarterback Josh Allen rose to NFL royalty, fans have the biggest expectations of Buffalo — things
like AFC Championships and Super Bowl wins. Everyone understands it’s also true that time as constructed is limited, and that Allen loses opportunity with each passing season.
Reading the tea leaves, that idea loomed large in co-owner Terry Pegula’s decision to fire former head coach Sean McDermott. Time is short, and much of it had been “wasted” heading into this season. Accolades, stats, and places in the sport’s history are each incredible to claim in their own right, yet they pale when considering that elusive Lombardi Trophy.
Enter new head coach Joe Brady and his equally new defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard. Both men get their first shot at NFL stardom with arguably the NFL’s biggest and most-talented star leading the way. No pressure to be perfect, right?
That’s just it. Perfection is all but guaranteed, yet that’s what so many Bills fans have demanded of the 2026 season because it seems absurd that Allen hasn’t so much as even played in a Super Bowl to this point in time. Nevermind that, yes, the team does have a first-time head coach and defensive coordinator. Nevermind that the defense underwent a huge overhaul in scheme. Nevermind that other NFL teams have the same goals.
Somehow, beating a downtrodden Ravens team that filtered through to its emergency quarterback was all that some still-skeptical fans needed to express their support of the Bills this season. Our latest Reacts results reveal that 86% of voters are confident in the team’s direction under Brady and president of football operations/general manger Brandon Beane. It’s a jump of 23 percentage points from last week’s 63% confidence rating.
The defense played a fantastic game, and quite honestly safety Damar Hamlin looked like the perfect fit as an emotional and schematic leader for Leonhard’s system. If nothing else, it speaks to the potential of an aggressive and tough defense lying in wait. That complementing the league’s top-scoring offense (and one in first by a large margin) should be enough to get Buffalo where is needs to be by season’s end. But they must continue playing this brand of football, and find the right amount of luck at the right time.
The Bills get to play another purple-clad team in Week 9, this time hoping to put a stamp on their signature offensive attack in front of another national audience. If you’re still unsure about Buffalo this season, what has to happen to change your mind?
We also asked Rumblers to weigh in with their positional wishlist ahead of the NFL trade deadline. Despite the great game Hamlin played, it’s likely unsurprising that the safety position led our poll results. We’re not talking by just a few percentage points, either.
A massive 72% of votes went toward adding a safety. The next closest position was linebacker. Wide receiver garnered just 9% of the vote, and only 3% of voters saw fit to add elsewhere to the Bills’ roster.
As if you needed a reminder, the results from one of this week’s national polls revealed that Josh Allen is viewed as the NFL MVP through Week 8.
Buffalo’s opponent in Week 9, the Minnesota Vikings, also sport a 6-1 record. The Vikings have a championship-caliber defense that might not be getting enough attention at the moment. But the offense has been a bit inconsistent too often with either Kyler Murray or Carson Wentz at quarterback.
Now, rumors suggest Minnesota could be in the market to trade for a quarterback. A lot of that will depend on how things go during Monday Night Football. However, it appears the situation on offense has the SKOL family second-guessing the team’s direction this season.
Mind you, Minnesota just lost and it’s their first defeat of the season. That somehow has just 17% of Vikings fans confident in the current direction of their favorite team.
Think you’ve got what it takes to make a play with the Buffalo Bills in 2026? Head over to FanDuel Sportsbook now and put it to the test!
