Buffalo regains ground nationally as the Raiders slide ahead of Sunday’s matchup in Las Vegas.
The Buffalo Bills needed a blocked field goal and one more Josh Allen rescue mission to leave Los Angeles with a win. The national power rankings rewarded them anyway.
Buffalo improved to 4-1 with its 37-34 overtime victory over the Rams, recovering some of the ground it lost after the Week 4 defeat against New England. Now the Bills head to Las Vegas to face a Raiders team whose encouraging start has given
way to two consecutive losses.
Once again, our comparison features ESPN, NFL.com, The Athletic, CBS Sports, USA Today, FOX Sports, Yahoo Sports and Pro Football Talk.
Bills climb back into the consensus top three
Buffalo rises from fifth to third in the eight-outlet consensus. Its average ranking improves from 5.38 to 4.25, placing the Bills behind only San Francisco and Kansas City in the combined standings.
Seven of the eight outlets moved Buffalo up. Pro Football Talk held the Bills at fourth.
ESPN, The Athletic, FOX Sports and Yahoo Sports now rank Buffalo third. USA Today remains the lowest of the group at seventh, with NFL.com placing the Bills sixth.
That is an encouraging recovery, but Monday night did not suddenly erase Buffalo’s problems.
Allen rushed for 121 yards, James Cook added 111 and the Bills finished with 234 rushing yards. The offensive line kept the ground game moving despite losing Spencer Brown during the second quarter. Greg Rousseau blocked the potential game-winning field goal in overtime, and Tyler Bass made the winning kick from 45 yards.
Those are legitimate reasons to reward Buffalo. So are the issues that keep some outlets from moving the Bills higher: two turnovers, 13 penalties and a defense that allowed 454 yards and five touchdowns.
FOX Sports’ Ralph Vacchiano moved Buffalo two spots to third while emphasizing Allen’s impact and the need to fix the defense. NFL.com’s Nick Shook similarly credited Buffalo’s resilience while identifying Cook’s ball security as a problem.
The Bills proved they could find a way to win. They still have to prove they can make winning look less exhausting.
Raiders slide after a difficult trip to New England
Las Vegas began the season 3-0. Two games later, the Raiders are 3-2 and falling across every outlet in our comparison after a 45-17 loss to the Patriots.
Their consensus position drops from 11th to 16th, while their average ranking falls from 11.50 to 16.25.
CBS Sports delivered the largest drop, moving Las Vegas eight places to 18th. Yahoo Sports remains the most optimistic at 12th, while NFL.com has the Raiders 19th.
New England produced 536 yards against Las Vegas, including 165 on the ground. The Raiders managed only 38 rushing yards themselves, leaving little balance to support Kirk Cousins and the passing game.
The optimism surrounding the opening three wins has cooled considerably. Buffalo arrives with an opportunity to extend that slide.
A rankings gap Buffalo needs to justify
All eight outlets rank Buffalo ahead of Las Vegas. The difference between their average positions is 12 spots, compared with 6.13 entering Week 5.
That does not make Sunday an automatic win.
Buffalo’s defense just allowed Matthew Stafford to complete 40 passes and watched the Rams erase a seven-point deficit in 94 seconds. A struggling opponent does not eliminate those concerns, particularly when Brock Bowers remains capable of creating problems. He caught eight passes for 110 yards and a touchdown against New England despite the lopsided result.
The Bills’ running game offers the clearest opportunity. Buffalo restored Cook’s workload in Los Angeles, and Allen’s legs repeatedly supplied the explosive plays the passing game lacked. Against a Raiders defense that struggled to stop New England on the ground, Buffalo has a chance to build on that production.
The challenge is finishing drives, protecting the football and getting enough defensive stops to avoid another game that requires a last-second rescue.
And where did the Rams land?
Los Angeles falls from sixth to a tie for ninth in the same eight-outlet consensus, with its average ranking dropping from 7.63 to 9.63. The Athletic delivered the steepest decline, moving the Rams from fifth to 10th. NFL.com went the other direction, raising them from 13th to 12th despite the loss. At 2-3, the Rams still receive considerable respect, but another productive offensive performance ended with special-teams mistakes and a defeat. They remain the only team with a losing record in the consensus top 10.
A win restored confidence, but a cleaner one would help keep it.
The rankings reflect confidence in Buffalo’s ability to win even when the game becomes chaotic. Sunday offers a chance to show the Bills can also take control of a matchup and keep it. Allen and the special-teams unit have already shown they can rescue Buffalo. A less dramatic afternoon in Las Vegas would be a welcome change.
