The Buffalo Bills continue to win, and most national analysts agree they’re the team to beat.
Following their convincing 23-6 victory over the Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football, Buffalo enters Week 10 ranked No. 1 in five of the eight national power rankings we’ve been tracking throughout the season.
The Bills have an average ranking of 1.50, a slight improvement from 1.63 entering Week 9. Their next opponent, the New York Jets, sits near the opposite end of the rankings with an average of 29.00.
While most outlets have remained consistent in their assessment of Buffalo, two publications made particularly interesting moves this week. USA Today finally gave the Bills some credit, while Sports Illustrated dropped them two spots despite another convincing victory.
Five outlets agree: Buffalo belongs at No. 1
ESPN, CBS Sports, The Athletic, FOX Sports, and Pro Football Talk all rank Buffalo first heading into Week 10.
The Bills have now delivered consecutive impressive defensive performances, defeating Baltimore 36-10 before holding Minnesota to just six points. It’s the kind of complementary football Bills fans have been waiting to see.
For much of the season, Buffalo’s offense has been expected to compensate for defensive inconsistencies. Over the past two games, however, the defense has demonstrated it can contribute to victories without requiring Josh Allen and the offense to be nearly perfect.
Whether that improvement continues against stronger offenses remains to be seen, but the results are encouraging.
USA Today finally starts showing Buffalo some respect
After weeks of being one of the biggest outliers, USA Today is finally bringing its assessment of the Bills closer to the national consensus. Of all eight outlets, USA Today has consistently been one of the toughest on Buffalo.
While several national publications have kept the Bills at or near the top of their rankings, USA Today previously placed Buffalo considerably further down the list. That assessment has gradually started changing.
Entering Week 8, USA Today ranked Buffalo ninth. The Bills climbed to sixth heading into Week 9, and following their victory over Minnesota, they jumped another four spots to second.
The question now is whether Buffalo can maintain that confidence as the schedule progresses.
Sports Illustrated drops Buffalo despite another convincing victory
On the opposite end of this week’s movement is Sports Illustrated. Conor Orr dropped Buffalo from No. 1 to No. 3 following its victory over Minnesota, making Sports Illustrated the lowest of our eight rankings for the Bills.
What’s particularly interesting is that Orr didn’t criticize Buffalo’s performance. In fact, his assessment of the Bills’ victory was positive, recognizing their ability to wear down Minnesota’s defense and control a difficult matchup. Instead, Orr’s introduction to his Week 10 rankings focused heavily on teams demonstrating urgency and aggression in their pursuit of a championship. He specifically highlighted Jacksonville’s aggressive approach to improving its roster and Chicago’s commitment to building a contender.
Jacksonville moved from third to first, Chicago remained second, and Buffalo dropped to third.
Orr never explicitly stated that Buffalo deserved to fall two positions. Based on his explanation of the rankings, however, the movement appears to be more about rewarding other contenders than penalizing the Bills for anything they did against Minnesota.
It’s an interesting approach, but power rankings are subjective, and this week’s Sports Illustrated rankings demonstrate just how differently analysts can evaluate the same team.
The Jets remain near the bottom
While Buffalo continues competing for the top spot, the New York Jets are heading in the opposite direction. The Jets enter their Week 10 matchup with Buffalo at 2-7 following a 35-12 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Across our eight sources, New York ranks between No. 26 and No. 31, with an average ranking of 29.00. CBS Sports is the most generous, placing the Jets at No. 26. FOX Sports and Pro Football Talk rank them No. 31. NFL.com dropped New York from 29th to 30th, while Sports Illustrated moved the Jets from 28th to 30th.
The Jets have struggled to establish consistency on either side of the football, and their four-game losing streak hasn’t given national analysts much reason to reconsider their evaluations.
For Buffalo, Sunday’s matchup provides another opportunity to build momentum against an AFC East opponent. But the Bills have already learned this season that divisional matchups shouldn’t be taken lightly.
Their lone loss came against the New England Patriots, another division rival, and the Jets will have an opportunity to disrupt Buffalo’s momentum regardless of where the national rankings place them.
Final thoughts
The Bills have demonstrated they can win games with explosive offensive performances, sustained rushing attacks, and, more recently, dominant defensive efforts.
After spending much of the season watching Buffalo’s offense overcome defensive shortcomings, it’s difficult to dismiss consecutive performances in which the defense allowed just 10 points to Baltimore and six to Minnesota. The bigger test will be whether that level of play continues against more productive offenses.
Now they need to prove those performances are sustainable.
Heading into Week 10 against the Jets, Buffalo has an opportunity to reinforce its position among the NFL’s elite while continuing to build confidence in a defense that has finally started making its presence felt.
The rankings may not be unanimous, but the Bills are giving analysts fewer reasons to question whether they belong at the top.
