Are the Buffalo Bills back? They never left, to be clear. But that doesn’t mean many people wrote them off as a team ready to make real noise in 2025. While quarterback Josh Allen grabs most headlines,
it’s actually running back James Cook and Buffalo’s run-blocking unit (including fullback Reggie Gilliam and rookie tight end Jackson Hawes) playing the role of team MVP almost midway through the season.
That running game (and some defensive recognition) paved the way for much of this week’s power rankings commentary on the Bills, and is a huge reason they rise in eight of the 20 rankings below. Where they see no change (9 outlets) or drop down (2 outlets) has as much to do with the New England Patriots as it does their own on-field work. The Patriots are once again a problem, but will that be true come playoff time?
Still, most aren’t ready to say the Bills are back to form, and they may not even be the type of elite fans have grown accustomed to since Josh Allen took the reigns. Plenty want to see what Buffalo does against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 9. What does that mean for the always-entertaining NFL power rankings? Let’s find out more with a gaggle of the latest below.
Pro Football Focus (PFF) joins the fray this week. While there are plenty of groans from folks wondering why PFF is such a highly referenced outlet, the fact is that its popularity and use continues to grow. That makes for valid inclusion in this space, where power rankings are most just thought exercises at best.
First, as always this season, let’s check in with the latest ESPN playoff odds for the Bills in four key metrics. Last week I mentioned that Buffalo’s home loss to the New England Patriots was going to haunt them all season. Well, I may have reverse-jinxed the Bills, at least per ESPN’s numbers.
The Bills’ odds of making the playoffs improved, and are now up to 88% (was 81%); their odds of winning the division rebounded to 51% (was 45%). Buffalo earning a bye in the playoffs increased to 14% (was 11%), while making it to the Super Bowl also jumped to 14% (was 11%).
Where in Week 8, the Bills were listed fourth, they rise back up to second, and are back out in front of the Patriots in every metric. That’s interesting when you consider that New England currently leads the AFC East, and has a win over Buffalo in the books.
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 8 Power Rankings for comparison)
ESPN: 4 (up from 6 in Week 8)
“Best offseason addition: DT Deone Walker”
“The fourth-round pick has turned into a valuable player for the Bills, especially given the injuries that have hit their defensive tackle position. Playing time for Walker and other defensive rookies isn’t a surprise, but he has started six games and played 51.7% of defensive plays. He is tied for the team high in tackles for loss (seven) with Ed Oliver and is third leaguewide in run stop rate (8.2%). Since Oliver is out indefinitely with a torn left biceps, the Bills will need Walker to continue stepping up.” — Alaina Getzenberg
NFL.com: 9 (unchanged from Week 8)
“That was a great way to come out of the bye, with the Bills turning in their finest defensive performance this season. They were feckless in the Week 6 loss to the Falcons but in complete command at Carolina, sacking Andy Dalton seven times, forcing three turnovers and allowing just nine points. Buffalo only forced five TOs in the first six games, so taking it away three times at Carolina was a revelation. It was especially encouraging to see Mike Hoecht and Larry Ogunjobi come off suspension to make immediate impacts, though Ed Oliver’s brutal biceps injury is significant moving forward. Any extra possessions are dangerous for this Bills offense to receive, and two of them started in the red zone. Buffalo’s offensive issues weren’t all suddenly fixed, but James Cook was so good that it didn’t matter.” — Eric Edholm
Pro Football Focus: 4 (up one from Week 8)
“Chance of making playoffs: 90%”
Chance of winning Super Bowl: 12%”
“There have been no reservations about the Bills’ offense in 2025. Buffalo has continually been one of the best units in the NFL, and helped heap 40 points on a hapless Panthers team without Bryce Young in Week 8. That win boosts the Bills to 6-2, and their AFC East odds to 61%, while the offense sits fifth in EPA per play.” — Thomas Valentine
The Athletic: 10 (up from 12 in Week 8)
“Something scary: The wide receiver room”
“It didn’t matter Sunday because James Cook ran for 216 yards and the Bills were playing the Panthers. But this team’s ceiling is going to be limited if it doesn’t get more from its wide receivers. Khalil Shakir had 88 yards Sunday to finally pass tight end Dalton Kincaid in receiving yards. Meanwhile, Josh Palmer missed the game due to ankle and knee injuries. Keon Coleman is 71st in the league with 267 receiving yards.” — Chad Graff/Josh Kendall
CBS Sports: 10 (unchanged from Week 8)
“They ran it and pressured the quarterback in beating the Panthers. But now here comes the Chiefs, the team that has been their nemesis in recent years. Losing Ed Oliver hurts.” — Pete Prisco
Sports Illustrated: 8 (down from 7 in Week 8)
“One hundred and forty one of James Cooks’ 216 yards on Sunday came before first contact. That doesn’t mean James Cook doesn’t break tackles. It means that no one can touch James Cook.” — Conor Orr
On SI: 6 (up from 8 in Week 8)
“With the Patriots threatening the Bills’ AFC East supremacy, Brandon Beane should be working the phones non-stop through the deadline. The Bills have holes at multiple positions, and that’s before starting defensive tackle Ed Oliver was lost to a long-term arm injury. While rookie Maxwell Hairston’s Week 8 debut eased some concern at cornerback, the Bills are undermanned at safety and defensive tackle. They could also use added juice in the receiving corps.” — Ralph Ventre, Buffalo Bills On SI
Pro Football Talk: 11 (unchanged from Week 8)
“It’s good that they remembered James Cook is on the team.” — Mike Florio
USA Today: 10 (down from 9 in Week 8)
“RB James Cook’s 216-yard rushing performance Sunday was the most by a Buffalo player since O.J. Simpson had 273 in a game 49 years ago.” — Nate Davis
FOX Sports: 7 (up from 8 in Week 8)
“They ran through a pretty good Carolina defense for 245 yards on the ground thanks to 216 yards from James Cook. Josh Allen hasn’t been in MVP form of late, but maybe he doesn’t have to be.” — Ralph Vacchiano
Pressbox: 10 (unchanged from Week 8)
“Ah. I guess reports of their demise were slightly over-exaggerated.” — Glenn Clark
Bleacher Report: 7 (unchanged from Week 8)
“Granted, it came against a bad Carolina Panthers team playing a backup quarterback, but the Bills team we saw coming out of the bye week was the Super Bowl contender we expect.
The Bills dropped almost 250 rushing yards on Carolina—with 216 and over 11 yards a carry coming from James Cook. Josh Allen only attempted 19 passes, but he was efficient and avoided mistakes. Buffalo allowed fewer than 250 yards of offense and forced three turnovers.
Given the opponent the blowout win doesn’t erase all the concerns created by Buffalo’s back-to-back losses before the bye. But the emphatic victory gives the Bills a nice head of steam heading into next week’s massive home showdown with Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Win that game, and the Bills can reclaim their status as one of the favorites in the AFC.” — Gary Davenport
Sportsnaut: 7 (unchanged from Week 8)
“That’s something much closer to the version of the Buffalo Bills that Bills Mafia expected this season. James Cook shouldered the load for this offense early, proving instrumental in Buffalo taking a 26-3 lead. That forced Carolina to go away from the one thing it can do well, run the football, and that was all she wrote in this one-sided blowout. It’s the kind of confidence builder Buffalo needs before facing the Chiefs, especially given how dominant Kansas City has looked lately.” — Matt Johnson
The Sporting News: 5 (up from 6 in Week 8)
“The Bills needed to find their ultimate offense again after the bye and it’s not a surprise that James Cook sparked everything with more of his breakout big-time running. He was the catalyst to get Josh Allen back on track and also help the defense find some complementary energy.” — Vinnie Iyer
New York Post: 5 (unchanged from Week 8)
“The power of rest was on display as James Cook ran for 216 yards and two touchdowns and Josh Allen accounted for three touchdowns in a 40-9 victory that ended the Panthers’ three-game winning streak. Allen improved to 8-0 after the bye in his career and set an NFL record with 46 games of at least one passing and one rushing touchdown.” — Ryan Dunleavy
Yahoo! Sports: 5 (unchanged from Week 8)
“Scoring 40 points was big, but seeing the defense dominate against the Panthers was a good sign after that unit showed some cracks before Buffalo’s bye. Buffalo forced three turnovers and didn’t allow a touchdown until the game was well out of hand. The Bills looked elite again.” — Frank Schwab
NFL Spin Zone: 11
“The Buffalo Bills are very good at responding to bad losses and did just that after their bye in Week 8, proving to everyone that they aren’t going to go away and might still be a top team in this league. Both sides of the ball were working well in Week 8, and the Panthers really had no answers at all.
Buffalo finds itself 5-2 and looking up at the New England Patriots in the AFC East, which is shocking. They actually have a good bit of work to do in order to pass New England, as the Patriots beat them in Buffalo, which is very impressive.
I do wonder if Buffalo is going to consider buying some defensive help at the NFL trade deadline, and they could even make a move at wide receiver as well. Overall, this does not feel like a great team, and doesn’t feel close to their insane regular season back in 2024, but Buffalo won’t go away and will still be playing late in the playoffs, as they usually are.
The Bills are no. 11 in our NFL power rankings.” — Lou Scataglia
FanDuel Research: 2 (unchanged Week 8)
(All NFL odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.)
— Annie Nader
“The Rich Eisen Show”: 9 (up from 10 in Week 8)
Computer Cowboy (Ben Baldwin): 5 (up from 8 in Week 8)
That’s it for another week of the always scientifically correct and never indisputable world of NFL power rankings. Love them or hate ‘em, you know looking away is fruitless — and why would you want to do it, anyway? What’s your take on the latest Bills rankings? Overall, the comments about Buffalo were pretty tepid, but that’s to be expected when the Bills continue to mystify in 2025.
Where would you rank the Buffalo Bills amongst their NFL brethren?
