It feels like the Buffalo Bills haven’t played a game in ages, thanks to the team’s Ween 7 bye. That’s what happens when a team loses two games in a row against opponents they should have been able to push aside.
Almost nothing’s come easy for the Bills through six games this season, but there’s little time to dwell on the past. There’s a lot of good to lean on with Buffalo’s roster, but the time for playing “cute” must end. Failing to do so may find the Bills under head coach Sean McDermott and general
manager Brandon Beane in unfamiliar draft territory next April. But that’s a conversation for another space.
As alluded to above, the building blocks for success are in-house and it starts with a return to form by quarterback Josh Allen and offensive coordinator Joe Brady. Much has been made about Buffalo’s wide receiver situation, but the truth is that Allen’s ad much to blame for the poor on-field product the last two games. Brady needs to remember how much he likes running plays and utilize star running back James Cook more than a handful of snaps in critical moments and downs.
Then there’s the defense, which some have labeled a “liability” or worse in 2025. That includes last season’s playoff run in January. It’s time that a team led by a defensive mind for nearly a decade figures things out on defense. Injury and suspension haven’t helped matters, but the latter situation is over. Defensive end Michael Hoecht and defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi make their debuts in Week 8, and there’s plenty of lost time to make up for thanks to six-game suspensions.
Most viewed the bye as great timing for the Bills, but they may disagree simply due to the sour gobstopper lodged in their throats the past three weeks. What does that mean for the always-entertaining-yet-sometimes-confounding (and poorly constructed) NFL power rankings, which are certainly nothing more than a thought exercise based on W-L records? Let’s find out more with a horde of the latest below.
Touchdown Wire drops off our list as of this edition because I won’t suffer inferior, incomplete, and inconsistent efforts in this arena. This also means that Mike Florio is on notice as his effort could be best described as mailing it in each week (check out his latest effort with Pro Football Talk below).
Florio certainly knows how “valuable” power rankings are for his empire of clicks and sphere influence, but the work he puts in is marginal at best. If I’m going to extend featured article time and space to national writers whose work I link directly to (and away from Buffalo Rumblings) I expect their output be on at least equal footing as our small corner of the internet.
Let’s get to this, shall we? Despite the bye week, the Bills dropped in many Week 8 power rankings. Others logically so reason to leave them be where sent a week ago, while a couple found it fitting to promote them up a notch or more.
First, let’s check in with the latest ESPN playoff odds for the Bills in four key metrics. Look away if playoff numbers scare you. That home loss to the New England Patriots is going to haunt them all season.
The Bills’ odds of making the playoffs continues to drop, now down to 81% (was 89%); their odds of winning the division are now down t0 just 45% (was 54%). Buffalo earning a bye in the playoffs dropped to 11% (was 15%), while making it to the Super Bowl dropped to 11% (was 15%).
Moving on to thoughts from national pundits…
Let’s live in the present and dive into the latest NFL power rankings, passing the mic to hierarchy experts around the country. Ready?
(Week 7 Power Rankings for comparison)
ESPN: 6 (down from 3 in Week 7)
“Unsung nonstarter/role player: TE Jackson Hawes“
“Unsung may be the wrong word, as the rookie fifth-round pick has received attention for his blocking ability and what he brings to the offense, but Hawes started the season as TE3 on the depth chart. His emergence has allowed the Bills to run different formations, notably more 13 personnel (three tight ends). He has showed up in the passing game with four receptions on four targets for 54 yards and a touchdown. When asked a couple of weeks ago if Hawes has exceeded expectations, coach Sean McDermott said, “That was a good pick for us. It’s early, but that was a good pick.” — Alaina Getzenberg
NFL.com: 9 (down from 4 in Week 7)
“This is admittedly an overcorrection after ranking the Bills way too high last week. Yes, folks, I heard you, and I’m not going to blame the bleariness from a Monday doubleheader for not dropping Buffalo further last Tuesday. I had slightly baked in the idea that the Bills would be getting some much-needed defensive reinforcements, and maybe they sniff around for some trade help — but right now, that’s all speculative. What we know: Josh Allen isn’t playing at an MVP level, and other offensive pieces aren’t doing their part, either. For all the crying about a need for defensive help, I could make just as good a case Buffalo could use another receiver. Right now, the wideouts are neither winning enough one-on-one battles nor making enough game-changing plays. That’s a big worry for a team that’s trying to fight its way back into first place with a few tough games ahead.” — Eric Edholm
The Athletic: 12 (Up from 16 in Week 7)
“Reality check: Where’d the running game go?”
For the first time since 2023, the Bills are not atop the AFC East standings. Their once-dominant ground attack has been bottled up in back-to-back games, both losses. The defense is a liability. Until the running game gets going, they’re once again asking Josh Allen to be Superman.” — Chad Graff/Josh Kendall
CBS Sports: 10 (unchanged from 3 Week 7)
“The bye was much needed after two straight losses. Injuries have hurt the defense, but the offense needs to get the passing game cranked up down the field.” — Pete Prisco
Sports Illustrated: 7 (down from 6 in Week 7)
“At the bye week, Bills Mafia is…scouring Reddit hoping that the team signs Tyler Lockett. This was not on my bingo card a few weeks ago, though life tends to move at you fast. ” — Conor Orr
On SI: 8 (down from 2 in Week 7)
“The Bills have yet to put forth a complete effort in any of their first six games, but they have a winning record with an opportunity to switch gears coming out of the bye week. For all the talk about lack of weapons surrounding reigning NFL MVP Josh Allen, running back James Cook, who averages 5.0 yards per carry, has shown the ability to be a true difference-maker.” — Ralph Ventre, Buffalo Bills On SI
Pro Football Talk: 11 (unchanged from Week 7)
“A reunion with the Chiefs looms.” — Mike Florio
USA Today: 9 (down from 7 in Week 7)
“Yo, Mafia − might be a good time to distract Carolina QB2 Andy Dalton and start plying him anew with charitable donations.” — Nate Davis
FOX Sports: 8 (down from 5 in Week 7)
“The Bills had a week off to stew about their two-game losing streak. If they lose in Carolina on Sunday, hit the panic button and add Sean McDermott to your ‘Coaches on the Hot Seat’ lists.” — Ralph Vacchiano
Pressbox: 10 (unchanged from Week 7)
“The ‘Tom & Jerry’ also appears to be a unique cocktail in Western New York, but we used that last week so I decided to dive deeper and there’s a place called Marble & Rye that is serving a drink with an interesting name (and if you fixed the capitalization, it would also be a grammatically correct sentence!)
“Amuse yourself watching others order the Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo (bourbon, rye, Irish & Scotch whiskies, house barrel bitters, lemon oleo saccharum) or try ordering one yourself and see what happens.”” — Glenn Clark
Bleacher Report: 7 (down from 6 Week 7)
“The bye week came at a good time for the Buffalo Bills.
While back-to-back losses to the Patriots and Falcons are concerning, Buffalo’s injury list—which included Terrel Bernard, DaQuan Jones, Matt Milano, Dalton Kincaid and Josh Palmer—was an even bigger issue coming out of Week 6.
Buffalo needs to get back on track after a couple of mistake-filled games, but getting healthier should give the Bills a massive boost.
If they can bounce back in Carolina on Sunday, they’ll regain plenty of momentum ahead of their Week 9 showdown with Kansas City.” — Kris Knox
Sportsnaut: 7 (up from 8 in Week 7)
“It’s not a given that this Buffalo Bills defense will improve coming out of the bye. During their recent two-game losing streak, Buffalo allowed opponents to average 8.1 yards per attempt, and this unit has been pretty abysmal against the run (156.3 rush ypg, 5.8 ypc allowed). Josh Allen, behind an elite offensive line, is still an incredible force who will propel Buffalo to double-digit victories and likely the AFC East crown, but there’s now real reason to question if Buffalo can overcome its defensive issues come playoff time.” — Matt Johnson
The Sporting News: 6 (unchanged from Week 7)
“The Bills got a much-needed bye to regroup from their tough losses to New England and Atlanta. Josh Allen needs to clean up a few things with his receivers, while the defense looks for some kind of answer vs. the run.” — Vinnie Iyer
New York Post: 5 (unchanged from Week 7)
“The Bills had a well-timed bye week to lick their wounds and figure out what’s wrong after back-to-back losses to the Patriots and Falcons. Four pass-catchers have between 234 and 287 receiving yards, but it would be nice for Josh Allen if Dalton Kincaid, Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman or Joshua Palmer separated from the pack.” — Ryan Dunleavy
Yahoo! Sports: 5 (down from 4 in Week 7)
“The Bills get the Panthers, and then comes a game that might define the AFC. They host the Chiefs on Nov. 2. That’s a huge game, but before that, the Bills need to make sure they don’t look past Carolina.” — Frank Schwab
NFL Spin Zone: 4
(Format and responsibility changes weekly)
“The last three games for the Buffalo Bills have been rather disappointing, and they’ve got to be chomping at the bit to get back on the field with the Patriots now taking a lead in the AFC East. The defense for the Bills has not been great this season, and that’s putting it mildly. You’ve still got the MVP in Josh Allen at quarterback, so you expect this team to be among the top 3 or 4 in the AFC when all is said and done. But are the Patriots going to force them to be road warriors in the postseason? They’ve got to get it together.” — Sayre Bedinger
FanDuel Research: 2 (down from 1 in Week 7)
(All NFL odds come from FanDuel Sportsbook.)
— Annie Nader
“The Rich Eisen Show”: 10 (down from 6 in Week 7)
Computer Cowboy: 8 (down from 4 in Week 7)
Can the Buffalo Bills fix things in Week 8? Or will they lose a third-consecutive game for the first time since 2018 — thus continuing their slide down the highly subjective and opinionated world of NFL power rankings?
