The Buffalo Bills played terrible football in Week 10. Everyone paying attention to the sport understands this to be true. It was a full team effort, the kind that sticks to your teeth like frozen spinach slathered on a pizza. Awful.
There’s little reason to offer you as a reader too much of a build-up to this week’s always incredible and absolutely scientifically proven NFL power rankings for the Bills. Interestingly, a few outlets I’ve featured here just didn’t complete the task this week. Life
happens… to the best of us. Buffalo drops in every ranking below aside from two instances, where they either don’t move a lick or actually rise up the rankings. (Make it make sense, folks.)
Let’s have some fun, and remember not to take this exercise too seriously. Rather, look at this as a fun bit of content for your Friday. We begin with the most important ranking here, which has also been my go-to through nine games in 2025…
Before digesting the power rankings, let’s check in with the latest ESPN playoff odds for the Bills in four key metrics. Buffalo is headed in the wrong direction again. This, after reclaiming the top spot in Week 10. Now? They’re down to four, behind the Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots, and Denver Broncos. Not great.
Entering Week 11, the Bills’ odds of making the playoffs dropped 10%, and down to 86% (was 96%); their odds of winning the division cratered to just 29% (was 59%). As for earning a playoff bye, Buffalo’s odds fell all the way to only 9% (was 30%), while the Bills’ odds of making it to the Super Bowl also continue to fall, and are now at 13% (was 20%).
Now, let’s live in the present and dive into the latest NFL power rankings, passing the mic to hierarchy experts around the country (a few notwithstanding). Ready? It’s not pretty. (Week 10 Power Rankings for comparison)
ESPN: 7 (down from 1 in Week 10)
“Non-QB MVP: RB James Cook III”
“Cook’s performance has been vital to the Buffalo offense this season, as the team is 1-3 when he rushes for under 100 yards. He is second in the league in rushing yards per game (102.2), succeeding behind an offensive line that has helped the Bills be third in yards before contact per rush (3.13). The ground game overall has been a positive for an offense that has significant issues elsewhere.” — Alaina Getzenberg
NFL.com: 9 (down from 4 in Week 10)
“What exactly should we do with the Bills? They followed up arguably their most important victory of the season with their biggest dud by a mile. This was a Dolphins team they’ve routinely batted around, and it wasn’t even close — Miami held the Bills off the scoreboard until the fourth quarter and never let them get going. Josh Allen played a poor game, but he rarely had open pass catchers to target, especially after Dalton Kincaid left with a hamstring injury. The passing game just isn’t working the way it should be, begging questions of why Buffalo doesn’t run more. Defensively, it was a major step back after the previous two weeks. There are enough games left on the schedule to right the ship, but the Patriots are threatening to run away with the AFC East.” — Eric Edholm
Pro Football Focus: 7 (down from 1 in Week 10)
“Chance of making playoffs: 85%”
“Chance of winning Super Bowl: 8%”“There’s no other way to describe the Bills’ 30-13 loss to the Dolphins other than embarrassing. The Bills were rocked on both sides of the ball, as the defense — which ranks 18th in EPA per play allowed — allowed seven yards per play, while the offense turned the ball over three times. Conventional wisdom would suggest the Bills would go from strength to strength after a dominant display against the Chiefs a week ago, but the defensive fragilities reared their ugly head again. We also got an uncharacteristic collapse from the offense.” — Thomas Valentine
The Athletic: 11 (down from 3 in Week 10)
“Breakout player: Dalton Kincaid”
“The Bills aren’t getting enough from their wide receiver room, but at least Kincaid looks to be returning to his rookie form. The third-year tight end is eighth among tight ends with 448 receiving yards (which ties last year’s season total and puts him on pace for a career high) and leads the Bills with four receiving touchdowns. If you think things in Buffalo are bad now, imagine how bleak it could get if Kincaid is out for a while after leaving Sunday’s game with a hamstring injury.” — Chad Graff/Josh Kendall
CBS Sports: 8 (down from 2 in Week 10)
“The letdown after beating the Chiefs turned into a disaster in Miami. If you can’t stop the run, and they can’t, you can’t win a Super Bowl. That has to be fixed.” — Pete Prisco
Sports Illustrated: 8 (down from 2 in Week 10)
“On Monday, Sean McDermott made quick work out of stomping out the idea that Brian Daboll could come back and help with the Buffalo Bills. Juxtapose that with the Lions, which have one of the best and most efficient offenses in the NFL, changing out playcallers because it isn’t perfect. I’m not saying either approach is right, but I am pointing out the differences in how two contending teams are handling this.” — Conor Orr
USA Today: 7 (no change from Week 10)
“A terrible loss to Miami and a foreboding remaining schedule very likely mean this team will have to take the wild-card route this year in its ongoing pursuit of the ever-elusive Lombardi Trophy.” — Nate Davis
FOX Sports: 11 (down from 4 in Week 10)
“Sorry, if you’re serious about being a Super Bowl contender, you can’t get blown out midseason to a dead Dolphins team. And only 13 points? Yuck.” — Ralph Vacchiano
Pressbox: 8 (down from 1 in Week 10)
Glenn Clark doesn’t give us much this week, and none of his own content on Buffalo’s rank (boy were they rank), but he’s having a bit of fun leveraging social media. So, here we are. It’s hard to argue when it sure feels like Groundhog Day around One Bills Drive at the moment.
Bleacher Report: 8 (down from 3 in Week 10)
“Following a win over the Kansas City Chiefs, the Buffalo Bills had a letdown in a road divisional matchup in Miami. They turned the ball over three times, all three in Dolphins territory.
To make matters worse for the Bills, tight end Dalton Kincaid exited early because of a hamstring injury. Rookie Landon Jackson left the game with a knee issue, which impacted depth on the edge with A.J. Epenesa in concussion protocol.
Trailing the New England Patriots in the AFC East, with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers next on the schedule, the Bills need to ramp up the urgency to compensate for injuries. ” — Maurice Moton
Sportsnaut: 7 (down from 1 in Week 10)
“From a monumental win over the Chiefs to falling flat on their face in Miami: the 2025 Buffalo Bills, ladies and gentlemen. Buffalo returned to fielding the league’s worst run defense, surrendering 197 yards and 2 touchdowns to Miami. Fittingly, no one in the Bills receiving corps could really get separation, and the typically stout offensive line allowed 7 QB hits and 3 sacks. It’s a loss the 6-3 Bills couldn’t afford heading into a stretch of matchups against the Buccaneers, Texans, Steelers, Bengals, and Patriots. At this point, a wild-card berth might be Buffalo’s path to the playoffs.” — Matt Johnson
The Sporting News: 8 (down from 2 in Week 10)
“The Bills deserve a steep drop after a terrible performance in Miami. Buffalo needs to pick up the pieces fast with the Buccaneers, also coming off a tough loss in Florida, up next.” — Vinnie Iyer
New York Post: 8 (down from 1 in Week 10)
“Not only did the Bills fail to pry away Jaylen Waddle with a trade offer, they had to watch Waddle score a touchdown in a 30-13 loss to the Dolphins. The Bills also were shredded for 197 yards on the ground as their seven-game winning streak in the rivalry was snapped despite Josh Allen’s 306 passing yards.” — Ryan Dunleavy
Yahoo! Sports: 2 (down from 2 in Week 10)
“A loss to the Dolphins might have exposed the Bills. Their September (miracle comeback over Ravens, tight wins over the Dolphins and Saints) doesn’t look so impressive anymore. They’re 2-3 since. The team needed to be active at the trade deadline and it did nothing.” — Frank Schwab
NFL Spin Zone: 5 (up from 8 in Week 10)
“The Buffalo Bills just aren’t a special team this year. The offense and defense have taken steps back, and they are now even further behind the New England Patriots in the AFC East following their blowout loss to the Miami Dolphins. However, the Bills aren’t slouches by any means and do have the reigning MVP.” — Lou Scataglia
FanDuel Research: (no data available – ranked 2 in Week 10)
“The Rich Eisen Show”: out of top 10 (ranked 6 in Week 10)
Computer Cowboy (Ben Baldwin): (no data available)
That’s it for another week of the always scientifically correct and never indisputable world of NFL power rankings. What’s your take on the latest Bills rankings?
