We’re cutting to the case this week with the latest edition of NFL power rankings. Most of you hate them, or at least pretend to hate the idea of power rankings. But it’s nearly guaranteed you all still read them. So, why not do the leg work for you and bring the thing you’re after right to your favorite Buffalo Bills outlet?
It’s a short week, with the Bills set to face the Detroit Lions in their first home game of the 2026 NFL season, the inaugural game at the new Highmark Stadium. It’s a primetime
event, and the hype is so thick you could dip wings in it.
What’s changed about Buffalo after Week 1? Well, they took down the Houston Texans to hit 1-0. The offense looked mostly great, but there’s room for improvement out of the running game. Meanwhile it’s clear that the new-look 3-4 defense is a work in progress, but don’t say that to outside linebacker Greg Rousseau who lit up Reliant Stadium last Sunday.
Last round, everyone, and I do mean every outlet, had the Los Angeles Rams as the best team in the NFL. Is that still true after they looked timid in their loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Australian soil? Let’s see what the Bills have to say about things.
Here’s the Week 1 Bills power rankings article for reference.
Time to dig in…
SB Nation NFL: 2 (up from 3 in Week 1)
Windy City Gridiron: 2
“Initial Week 1 Thought: D.J. Moore is going to make a big difference for Josh Allen. That might be enough to get their offense back to a Super Bowl level. The bigger focus will be on the defense. Despite their win, they still gave up 31 points. The talent is there; it might just take some time with a new coaching staff to get things firing correctly.” – Aaron Leming
NFL.com: 2 (up from 4 in Week 1)
Nick Shoot rightly mentions Josh Allen and MVP push in the same sentence. It’s a long season and there’s a lot of work to do, but that was a heck of a start for a team with a first-time head coach.
“The Bills exorcised the horned demon that has haunted them in Houston, lighting up the Texans’ fearsome defense to the tune of 36 points and 409 yards, including a 96-yard touchdown drive with the game on the line. Josh Allen kicked off his latest MVP push with a signature performance, throwing for 334 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for two more scores, delivering a trademark Buffalo win in Joe Brady’s debut as head coach. Good start, Bills Mafia.” — Nick Shook
The Athletic: 3 (unchanged from Week 1)
People think the Bills have a good football team. Is that an overreaction to Week 1’s result?
“What we learned: They’re the AFC favorites”
“The Bills were a trendy pick to reach the Super Bowl this season, even in their first year under new coach Joe Brady. They showed why on Sunday. The Texans might have the best defense in the NFL, yet the Bills put up 409 yards of offense while Josh Allen threw for a pair of touchdowns and added another two on the ground. That offense will be fun for the home crowd to watch as Buffalo unveils its new stadium Thursday night.” — Chad Graff/Josh Kendall
ESPN: 1 (up from 3 in Week 1)
The big takeaway here is that Aaron Schatz provided the write-up for the Bills, where Alaina Getzenberg had done so up through last week. It’s doubtful he’s taking over the Bills’ beat, but he may at least fill in for now to cover the team in spots.
“Non-QB newcomer debut: WR DJ Moore”
“Moore’s five catches for 100 yards were somewhat aided when Houston safety Reed Blankenship went for an interception and missed badly, giving Moore an easy path to a 43-yard touchdown. However, Moore also did a lot of things that didn’t end up in his standard receiving totals. He drew a 46-yard pass interference penalty and later an illegal contact flag. He also slapped away what appeared to be a very likely interception for Houston safety Calen Bullock. It was everything the Bills could have asked for when they traded for Moore in March.” — Aaron Schatz
Sports Illustrated: 2 (up from 5 in Week 1)
I love the point here about Brady’s (or Allen’s) decision to go right back at Kamari Lassiter after he dropped a sure interception.
“Josh Allen had a fair amount of turnover-worthy plays that could have impacted the final result, but the Bills won a coin-flip game in Houston. I don’t want to take away from Allen, who was superhuman in stretches, and I thought the playcall to make a run right back at Kamari Lassiter after the dropped pick was brilliant. The defense got home with a three-man pass rush in critical situations which, again, may be more reflective of Houston at this point but for now will stand as a complement of the Bills.” — Conor Orr
FOX Sports: 4 (up from 7 in Week 1)
It might be wise to put last year’s teams to bed…
“They put up 36 points and 409 yards on a Houston defense that gave up an average of 17 points and 277 yards per game last year. Apparently, Joe Brady can coach and call plays at the same time.” — Ralph Vacchiano
Bleacher Report: 2 (up from 5 in Week 1)
Do the Bills really have a claim to make as the best team in the NFL — if not them, then who else?
“The Buffalo Bills staked their claim as the NFL’s best team with the most impressive victory from Week 1. Josh Allen and Co. went into Houston, faced the league’s best defense and posted over 400 yards of total offense.
Obviously, Allen’s presence alone gives the Bills an advantage over most, if not all of their opponents. The former league MVP contributed four touchdowns Sunday, including a pair of scores on the ground.
However, a reworked defense under new coordinator Jim Leonard deserves credit for coming up big late in the contest with two sacks and a forced fumble to end Houston’s chances of taking a lead deep in the fourth quarter.” — Brent Sobleski
CBS Sports: 3 (up from 4 in Week 1)
No lies in this below from Pete Prisco:
“Winning at Houston is big for this team. It’s obvious that Joe Brady is giving the ball to Josh Allen again.” — Pete Prisco
USA Today: 3 (up from 4 in Week 1)
Back-handed compliments are fun, but at least Nate Davis didn’t improperly name any lakes in this blurb.
“The Great Lakes Bengals? The Bills barely played a lick of defense Sunday in Houston but nevertheless looked like a team very much capable of making a run to Super Bowl 61 − especially with Josh Allen, now the fastest player in NFL history (129 games) to collect at least 300 combined passing/rushing TDs, at the helm.” — Nate Davis
Pro Football Focus: 1 (up from 3 in Week 1)
Is Brady’s offense a new beast out of Sean McDermott’s shadow? Can Jim Leonhard make needed adjustments with scant time to prep for the Lions?
“Odds to make the playoffs: 87%”
“Odds to win the Super Bowl: 11%”
“The Bills answered the call with a triumphant victory over the Texans in Week 1. Joe Brady’s offense hummed like rarely seen against Houston, racking up 13 explosive plays with major contributions from Dalton Kincaid (career high 91.6 PFF receiving grade) and newcomer D.J. Moore. However, new defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard looks to make adjustments on a short week after allowing a 53.2% success rate against Houston’s offense.” — Bradley Locker
Sportsnaut: 2 (up from 6 in Week 2)
Matt Johnson takes the ball and runs with a quality synopsis of Buffalo’s Week 1 and the potential scenario awaiting them in Week 2. Remember, with winning comes great pressure.
“Josh Allen finally exorcised one of his biggest demons in Week 1, beating the Houston Texans with an outstanding performance against an elite defense that has shut him down in the past. Adding DJ Moore (100 yards, 1 touchdown on 5 receptions) clearly is an elevator for Buffalo’s passing game and it appears Buffalo might also be getting that breakthrough year from tight end Dalton Kincaid. If the Bills can do this against Houston’s defense, the Lions are in serious trouble on that side of the ball in Week 2.” — Matt Johnson
The Sporting News: 1 (up from 2 in Week 2)
Who doesn’t enjoy the sound of a “more complete and explosive team” led by none other than Josh Allen?
“The Bills came out firing with Josh Allen picking apart a tough Texans defense with downfield passing in the debut of Joe Brady as head coach. Their new aggressive mind-set also came through in time on defense. This is a more complete and explosive team.” — Vinnie Iyer
yahoo!sports: 1 (up from 3 in Week 1)
Best game of Week 1, hands down. There were several contenders, but this one surpassed the hype, which Frank Schwab accurately points out below.
“Had Bills-Texans happened in prime time, as it should have, we’d be even more excited about what Josh Allen did against a very good Houston defense. The 36 points the Bills put up was the most against Houston since 2023, which was DeMeco Ryans’ first season as head coach. Allen threw for 334 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 23 yards and two touchdowns. That win was a statement. The fact that it happened in the 1 p.m. Eastern window just means the Bills won’t get as much hype as they should. That might change Thursday night when they face the Lions.” — Frank Schwab
theScore: 1 (up from 4 in Week 1)
If you’re superstitous, even just a little, you might rather wish that folks hold off on crowning the Bills anything other than expectedly good. They’re always going to be at least that with Allen. Is this really their year?
“This is the Bills’ year. Talent hasn’t been an issue in the Josh Allen era. Yet the Bills have piled up heartbreaking playoff losses and haven’t returned to the Super Bowl since infamously losing four straight in the early 1990s. Well, that “curse” ends this season. Allen’s offense looks even more dangerous with DJ Moore as his top target, and Buffalo has already started exorcising demons by defeating the Texans in Week 1. Allen had been 0-4 in Houston as a starter.” — theScore Staff
NFL Trade Rumors: 4 (up from 9 in Week 1)
Yup Football Man is good at football. Bills Mafia knows this, and enjoys the heck out of it.
“Hot take alert: Josh Allen is good at football. The Bills quarterback supermanned his squad to a win over the vaunted Texans defense, creating big play after big play and frustrating an extremely talented unit on the other side. Offseason acquisition D.J. Moore pairs perfectly with Allen given his propensity for creating downfield action, and the Bills’ offensive line held up against that pass rush. Buffalo’s defense is still a concern, but I was impressed by their defensive line, if nothing else.” — Ethan Woodie
RotoBaller: 1
The Bills need to go a really long way to silence critics, and this year’s supporting cast might do the necessary trick.
“Josh Allen was electric in Week 1. His four total touchdowns were par for the course. The Bills can go a long way if Allen plays like this and the weapons around him continue to step up.” — Quincy Milton III
New York Post: 1
It’s great to see at least one outlet highlight Greg Rousseau and his tremendous game in Week 1. If Rousseau can string together several games like it, look out.
“Something old: Allen threw a go-ahead 34-yard touchdown pass with 1:36 remaining. Something new: The defense actually closed out a win when Greg Rousseau had his second strip sack of the day in a 36-31 victory over the Texans to mark head coach Joe Brady’s debut. The Bills won in Houston for the first time since 2006.” — Ryan Dunleavy
Fansided: 10 (up from 13 in Week 1)
Dear Jason La Canfora: WTF?
“Josh Allen with the flair for the dramatic. I got this game totally wrong and thought it would be a defensive struggle. Shocked they did that to the Texans defense. Week 1 or not. However, my concerns about the Bills have a playoff-level defense and the loss of Sean McDermott are something you have to watch closely.” — Jason La Canfora
Computer Cowboy/Ben Baldwin: 2 (up from 4 in Week 1)
These are always fun charts to look at, but do the Los Angeles Rams deserve the top spot still? This data says yes.
That’s it for this edition of Buffalo Rumblings’ Bills power rankings round-up.
