Our Thanksgiving edition of the Buffalo Rumblings Power Rankings Roundup is here. I’m certain it’s as anticipated as the National Dog Show, at worst. At best? Moving on…
Well, Week 12 really stunk for Buffalo
Bills fans. Buffalo lost again and most of the teams the Bills needed help from failed to get the job done. All’s not lost, however. There are six games left, which means the Bills should approach the rest of the regular season as if the playoffs start in Week 13.
It’s possible the football world watched the Houston Texans play their best game of the 2025 NFL season against the Bills. There’s also the potential for other teams to use that film and try to copy a system for which Buffalo was anything other than thankful.
A common theme heading in Week 13 is that the Bills drop in each ranked list shared below. A fair amount of writers still believe in Buffalo’s postseason shot, but much of that rests on the shoulders of quarterback Josh Allen.
This week, I’ve added a couple new outlets to our rankings roundup. It’s Thanksgiving, and we’re making room at the table for Jacob Infante of Pro Football Network, and Dan Wilkins with theScore.
To those of you new to Buffalo Rumblings’ power rankings roundup, I provide you, the reader, with a convenient one-stop shop to catch up with Buffalo’s weekly rankings from a wide variety of outlets and writers covering the NFL. There’s no need to click away to find out more about what each analyst says, but the links are provided in case you want to dive deeper into rankings for other teams.
Before we get to the latest rankings, let’s catch up with the latest ESPN playoff odds for the Bills in four key metrics. Interesting enough, Buffalo stays put in fourth, but those pesky New England Patriots climb to the top. The Bills’ loss to the Texans did them no favors, as one might expect.
Currently, Buffalo’s odds of making the playoffs sit at 79% (was 90%); their odds of winning the division are now just 14% (was 28%). As for earning a playoff bye, the Bills’ odds nosedived to just 3% (was 10%), while Buffalo’s odds of making it to the Super Bowl are now just 9% (was 14%). (ESPN’s latest and full AFC playoff odds chart)
It’s best to just sit back and try to enjoy the ride for however long the Bills play football this season.
Now, 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 12 Power Rankings for comparison)
ESPN: 10 (down from 6 in Week 12)
“Thanksgiving game memory: Quarterback Josh Allen’s breakout game in 2019”
“The Bills’ 26-15 win over the Cowboys is often considered the game that introduced the nation to Allen. It was the team’s first Thanksgiving appearance since 1994. Allen went 19-of-24 for 231 yards and one passing touchdown; he rushed for 43 yards and one touchdown on 10 carries. The team’s success led to Thanksgiving appearances again in 2021 and 2022. There have been other good performances on the holiday, including OJ Simpson’s record performance in 1976, but nothing was bigger than cementing Allen’s place as the franchise QB the Bills were long searching for.” — Alaina Getzenberg
NFL.com: 10 (down from 7 in Week 12)
“With Buffalo at 7-4, the playoffs still feel like a strong possibility, but the way the Bills have played recently, by and large, does not resemble a team that looks poised to avenge the postseason failures of the recent past. They started 4-0 but have lost four of seven since. They’ve dropped three of the past four on the road, with some important roadies remaining. With every painful loss this season — and last Thursday’s 23-19 defeat in Houston was certainly no exception — it feels more and more like the Bills really missed their chance to break through last season. The energy and mojo around that team was different. When the 2024 Bills showed some early weakness, they adjusted and grew. So far, this version of the Bills has not. There’s still time, and Josh Allen is the ultimate equalizer, but the offense has come up short in each loss — and it’s hard to say right now that it won’t happen again.” — Eric Edholm
(YouTube link at Bills timestamp)
Pro Football Focus: 6 (down from 5 in Week 12)
“Chance of making playoffs: 81%”
“Chance of winning Super Bowl: 6%”“The Bills ran into a buzzsaw in the mold of the Texans’ defense on Thursday night. Aside from a big James Cook (83.6 grade; 4th) touchdown run in the first quarter, the Bills’ offense struggled to get a real handle on the game and looked somewhat predictable, turning the ball over three times while Josh Allen (82.5 grade; 8th) was sacked eight times. The Bills aren’t going to run into defenses of that caliber every week, but there has to be something said for two poor offensive performances in the last three games.” — Thomas Valentine
The Athletic: 9 (down from 7 in Week 12)
“One big question: Will they ever stop the run?”
“The Texans entered last Thursday’s game with the NFL’s worst rushing offense (based on success rate). Then Woody Marks blasted the Bills for 4.6 yards per carry as Houston had few issues on the ground. The Bills are legit in a lot of areas, but they need to figure out their run defense before the playoffs.” — Chad Graff/Josh Kendall
CBS Sports: 9 (down from 6 in Week 12)
“They have all kinds of problems right now, which makes winning the division highly unlikely. Heck, if they don’t get it going, they might not make the playoffs.” — Pete Prisco
USA Today: 12 (down from 6 in Week 12)
“QB Josh Allen has been sacked 17 times over his past four starts on the road. Welcome to Pittsburgh, Mr. MVP.” — Nate Davis
Bleacher Report: 8 (down from 6 in Week 12)
“The Buffalo Bills were expected to be among the AFC’s best teams in 2025 and a legitimate Super Bowl contender. And at 7-4, they are on track to make the playoffs. The season hasn’t gone according to plan, though.
Josh Allen had an outing against the Houston Texans he’d rather forget—the NFL MVP was dropped eight times, didn’t throw a touchdown pass and tossed two picks. The Buffalo run defense continues to be an issue on a weekly basis, and with 2024 first-round pick Keon Coleman a healthy scratch for a second straight week, the Bills’ pass-catchers are suspect.
Buffalo is two back of New England with a head-to-head loss against the Patriots, so the AFC East title is looking unlikely. And while the Bills are talented, it’s getting harder by the week to imagine them making it to Santa Clara and Super Bowl LX in February.” — Gary Davenport
Sportsnaut: 12 (down from 5 in Week 12)
“It’s possible the Buffalo Bills just have a Texans problem. However, there seem to be much bigger issues beyond that. Josh Allen has now been sacked 20 times in the last six games, with Buffalo posting a 6-6 record during that span. In that same span, opponents have averaged 151.7 rushing yards and 1.7 rushing touchdowns per game against Buffalo. When looking ahead to potential playoff matchups, the Bills’ weaknesses and their reliance on Allen don’t bode well for success.” — Matt Johnson
The Sporting News: 9 (down from 6 in Week 12)
“The Bills’ defense is becoming a bigger issue against the pass after already looking terrible against the run. Now their offensive limitations are costing them when it’s not about James Cook in the running game as Josh Allen is stuck searching for reliable weapons beyond Khalil Shakir.” — Vinnie Iyer
Yahoo! Sports: 11 (down from 8 in Week 12)
“The Bills are 3-4 since September. They probably don’t deserve to be ranked this high, but Josh Allen gives them a bit of a benefit of the doubt. Buffalo is a very flawed team. General manager Brandon Beane lectures about trading for talent, but the truth is, his roster is too shorthanded to be a Super Bowl contender.” — Frank Schwab
NFL Spin Zone: 10 (no consensus ranking in Week 12)
“The Buffalo Bills should be worried, folks, as we are definitely seeing the shortcomings of this team being exposed, and most of this falls on the shoulders of GM Brandon Beane, who really hasn’t done a great job in recent years at assembling good enough rosters.
This could be a case of him thinking Josh Allen can simply cover up for the team’s weaknesses. With this latest loss to the Houston Texans on Thursday Night Football, Buffalo is now a full two games behind the New England Patriots in the AFC East, depending on what the Pats do in Week 12.
The Bills just don’t have a great team – the roster is flawed, the defense struggles, and they really don’t have a clear-cut go-to weapon on offense, so Buffalo isn’t a Super Bowl team and should again find themselves on the coach in late January.
Could we see some major change in the offseason when this inevitably happens? Both Beane and head coach Sean McDermott could be on the hot seat.” — Lou Scataglia
New York Post: 10 (down from 7 in Week 12)
“Josh Allen was sacked eight times, and the Bills committed at least three giveaways in a third straight game for the first time in a single season since 2006. It all added up to a 23-19 loss to the Texans that even a hook-and-ladder fourth-and-27 conversion couldn’t overcome. James Cook rushed for 116 yards and a score.” — Ryan Dunleavy
Pro Football Network: 8 (down from 5 in Week 12)
“It’s been a confusing last few weeks for the Buffalo Bills. In their last four games, they’ve picked up impressive victories over the Chiefs and Buccaneers. In those other two games, however, they’ve been upset by both the Dolphins and Texans, with the latter game coming on Thursday night.
Sure, the Bills lost both of those games on the road. But with their 7-4 record, they’re currently behind the Patriots in the AFC East standings. As a prospective Wild Card team for the upcoming playoffs that likely won’t be getting home-field advantage at this rate, that inconsistency on the road could hurt them down the stretch.” — Jacob Infante
theScore: 11 (down from 8 in Week 12)
What the Bills should be thankful for:
“Josh Allen. A few glaring roster weaknesses have the Bills relying on their superstar quarterback more than ever. Can Allen drag them on a deep playoff run?” — Dan Wilkins
Sports Illustrated: 7 (down from 5 in Week 12)
“Of all the juggernauts who started slow this season, the Bills are the most perplexing because, unlike Kansas City, Houston and Baltimore, their schedule was fairly manageable. The Bills have played down to bad opponents, have looked gobsmacked more often than other AFC heavyweights and now feel solely dependent on the magical performance of a star quarterback. I’ve seen worse game plans succeed, but I’m starving for some consistency.” — Conor Orr
FOX Sports: 11 (down from 7 in Week 12)
“With the fall of the Chiefs and Ravens, the whole AFC was sitting there for the taking before they lost in Houston. The Bills are really going to regret this missed opportunity.” — Ralph Vacchiano
Tom Brady with FOX Sports: unranked (down from 5 in Week 12)
Brady didn’t have the Bills as part of his top-10 rankings for Week 13, after previously placing them at 5.
Pressbox: 10 (down from 6 in Week 12)
Glenn Clark, having fun:
“The Rich Eisen Show”: unranked (down from 7 in Week 12)
Computer Cowboy (Ben Baldwin): 9 (down from 3 in Week 12)
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? Happy Thanksgiving to you. Wishing you the best towards a safe and enjoyable day with loved ones — from family, to friends, and everyone in-between.
