Following a shootout loss against the Los Angeles Rams, the Bills dropped a bit in the rankings
The Buffalo Bills lost a wildly entertaining game on Sunday, dropping a 44-42 shootout with the Los Angeles Rams. From a defensive standpoint, it was about as bad a performance as the Bills have put up in head coach Sean McDermott’s career with the team. The Rams were nearly flawless, converting 11-of-15 third downs, and averaging 6.3 yards per play and holding the ball for nearly 39 minutes.
Offensively, however, the Bills were absolutely incredible. Quarterback Josh Allen was a machine, throwing for 342 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 82 yards and three more scores. It was the latest instance of a game where Allen was incredible in a loss.
Thanks to the result, Buffalo took a dive in this week’s power rankings. Not all lists have them significantly lower than they were entering play, but there are enough where it’s evident that Buffalo lost their last game. Dropping the Bills too far for losing on the road to a legitimate NFC team (the Rams are now 6-2 since their bye in October) feels like an overreaction, but I digress.
We start with the power rankers at ESPN, who have Buffalo at No. 4 this week after ranking them second entering play. Alaina Getzenberg was tasked with writing about Buffalo’s most surprising ranking, which she believes is the team’s time of possession for the season. Buffalo is just No. 19 in that category, and in spite of that, the Bills are second in point margin per game at +9.9 for the season. She writes that a combination of factors have led to that, including Buffalo scoring very quickly, but also the fact that the Bills are the league’s eighth-worst third-down defense. The latter piece reared its ugly head on Sunday in the worst way possible.
Mike Florio at Pro Football Talk has Buffalo at No. 5 this week, down from their second-place ranking entering play. He writes that “Josh Allen was Superman. The defense was Clark Kent.” I think that’s a little harsh to Clark, as I’d argue that the defense was more like Steve Rogers prior to his turning into Captain America. Even that might be too harsh for poor Steve.
Pete Prisco at CBS Sports also has Buffalo ranked No. 5 this week after ranking them second entering play. Prisco writes that the Bills are about to be tested on defense once again, this time against an “explosive” Detroit Lions club that looks to be the clear-cut top team in football. He also noted that even a ridiculous performance from Allen couldn’t bail out the Bills and their putrid effort on defense.
Doug Farrar at USA Today ranked the Bills at No. 3 this week, which is exactly where they were entering play. He quoted Rams head coach Sean McVay, who called Josh Allen “an alien” in explaining how hard it is to defend Buffalo’s all-world quarterback. Farrar noted that the performance might have solidified Allen’s MVP case, but it damaged the Bills’ chances at the No. 1 seed in the AFC.
Frank Schwab at Yahoo! Sports has Buffalo at No. 4 this week, down one spot from their ranking entering the week. He writes that Josh Allen’s MVP hopes might have been bolstered by this week’s contest, but Buffalo’s team goal of avoiding Arrowhead Stadium in the playoffs were not.
Vinnie Iyer at Sporting News dropped Buffalo all the way to No. 6 this week, three spots down from their place entering play. He notes that Buffalo’s defense, running game, and special teams all faltered this week (But other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you enjoy the play?). He also correctly writes that the Bills can’t afford a similar breakdown this week against the Detroit Lions.
Alex Kennedy at Pro Football Network has the Bills ranked No. 5 this week. He also wrote about how outstanding Josh Allen was in a performance that was all for naught. He notes that the Bills-Lions matchup could be a Super Bowl preview.
Eric Edholm at NFL Network has the Bills ranked No. 4 this week, down two spots from their ranking entering play. He noted Allen’s “electric” performance, also writing that overcoming Buffalo’s special teams woes was “a bridge too far” for the elite quarterback. While noting the blocked punt as part of Buffalo’s special teams breakdown, he did not mention the nine-player issue on the game’s final play. Frankly, I think that’s worse, as the blocked punt was a physical issue — Reid Ferguson was tossed aside like my seven-year-old bulldozing his little sister on the way to a dessert — whereas the coaching and mental breakdown of not putting enough players on the field is inexcusable at this level.
Matt Johnson at Sportsnaut has the Bills at No. 5 this week, two spots down from their rank entering the week. He harped on the key theme of the week: Josh Allen great, Buffalo defense bad.
Finally, Marcus Mosher at The 33rd Team has the Bills at No. 5 this week. He lauded Josh Allen’s stat line while noting that head coach Sean McDermott made some critical errors down the stretch that could cost the Bills the first or second seed in the AFC playoffs.