Buffalo Rumblings
So… is it time to overreact, Bills Mafia? No, but go on if you must. The Buffalo Bills aren’t very good right now, held up only by the four wins they stole from teams that are now a combined 3-21 on the season. Even their Week 1 win against the Baltimore Ravens comes with an asterisk, though the Bills were the only team to play the best version of the 2025 Ravens.
Reeling after a two-game losing streak to teams widely believed to be inferior, it’s not just that Buffalo lost, but how they did it. The defense is a mess, even if the defensive line looks improved at times. The run defense resembles what might happen if a high school team lined up across from anyone in the professional ranks. It’s that bad, and that doesn’t change just because they played it better in the second half of Week 6. You don’t get to ignore 81-yard house calls and almost 140 yards given up to Bijan Robinson in one half of play.
But is the run defense really the biggest issue? Of the easily visible ones, yes. But the defensive backs are atrocious. It’s just that teams run against the Bills so much that the pass defense numbers look decent. It’s a mirage, I tell you. Two losses in a row that featured two top receivers going off against Buffalo, when hardly anyone else did in the passing game.
But at the same time, this bad defense held Atlanta to a field goal in the second half. The offense, on the other hand, couldn’t get out of its own way, only managing two touchdowns with one each off their opening drives of each half.
With another loss, Buffalo dropped in almost every instance of the Week 7 power rankings. As we’ve variously said in so many places here at Buffalo Rumblings, there are plenty of questions to ask about these Bills. That was true when whispered after Week 1, and now it’s a roar loud enough to fill the silent void of a pure vacuum.
Let’s dive in to the ball pit that is this week’s power rankings, first by taking a look at ESPN’s playoff odds for the Bills in four key metrics. Buffalo once again dropped across all four metrics, and for the first time this season don’t sit at the top of these odds.
The Bills’ odds of making the playoffs dropped to 89% (was 92%); their odds of winning the division are now down t0 just 54% (was 70%). Buffalo earning a bye in the playoffs dropped to 15% (was 30%), while making it to the Super Bowl dropped to 15% (was 22%).
Moving on to thoughts from national pundits about Buffalo’s loss to New England with a now tidy refrain in this space…
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 5 Power Rankings for comparison)
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