Power rankings: Where the Bills stand in polls after bye week

7. Bills (8): A bitter loss and bye week in the rear view, Buffalo returns to a three-week murdered row against Miami, Jacksonville and the Jets, who are a combined 3-16 (.158). Great opportunity for Buffalo to create breathing room from AFC pack.

7. Buffalo Bills (4-2)

Last week: 7

Bye week.

5. Buffalo Bills (4–2)

Last week: Bye

Next week: vs. Miami

Here’s a not-so-bold prediction: The Bills, barring any catastrophic injuries, will hold down the No. 1 spot on our power rankings over the remaining five weeks of the season. Their remaining schedule is a little more than a game of tiddlywinks and they blew through the toughest portion of their season with the league’s most efficient offense.

7. Buffalo Bills 4-2 (4)

The Bills stubbed their toes in Tennessee before the bye, with a bit of a letdown following their massive victory at Kansas City. They sitll should be considered the AFC co-favorites, but things got a lot tighter in Week 7, meaning they have plenty of work to do to nail down the top seed.

6. Buffalo Bills (4-2, LW: 6)

The Bills’ next three games are against the Dolphins, Jaguars and Jets. Losing to the Titans wasn’t ideal, but the Bills should be 7-2 by the time they’re challenged again.

4. Buffalo Bills (4-2)

Last Week: 4

Week 7 Result: Bye Week

The Buffalo Bills spent most of the off week answering a single question.

“What was up with the decision to go for it on 4th-and-inches last week against the Tennessee Titans rather than kick the field goal and play for overtime?”

After Josh Allen’s slip and the failed fourth-down conversion cost the Bills the game, head coach Sean McDermott was unapologetic.

“Josh is usually spot-on with those [QB sneaks]. You’ve seen him have a lot of success with those in that situation,” McDermott told reporters. “We hadn’t stopped them on defense for a number of drives there in the second half, really. Again, felt like we could go and win the game right there. Obviously, didn’t get it done.”

That play likely works eight times in 10, and it doesn’t take away from the fact that Buffalo is arguably the best, most balanced team in the AFC East. Even with the loss, the Bills have a sizable lead in the division.

But the decision could factor into home-field advantage and a first-round playoff bye down the road.

5. Bills (4-2, No. 6): Plenty of winnable games are on the docket.

3. Buffalo Bills (4-2)

Previous rank: No. 2

When Josh Allen was stuffed on fourth-and-short to clinch a frustrating 34-31 loss to the Titans in Week 6, it put the spotlight on a perplexing issue concerning the AFC East leaders: Why is this loaded offense struggling to tally touchdowns in the red zone? Buffalo is scoring nearly 34 points per game, but the team is 26th in red-zone TD conversion. No team in football made more trips inside the opponent’s 20-yard line in the season’s first six weeks, but the Bills punched it into the end zone only 55.2 percent of the time. That’s down from the 62 percent clip Buffalo posted in its gangbusters 2020 rampage through the league. One can assume this issue was thoroughly investigated during the bye week.

5. Buffalo Bills (4-2)

Previous ranking: 2

Prediction we missed: The Bills’ defense could take time to get going with a tough early slate.

It’s not a surprise that the Bills are having a good season and that this team is among the Super Bowl contenders coming off its bye. Instead, it’s the way this team has won games and dominated most of its opponents. Yes, the loss to a good Titans team was tough, but five of the first six games of the season were against teams in the playoffs last year or in contention. Buffalo came away holding two teams scoreless and outscoring other opponents by wide margins. The Bills have unexpectedly shown how dominant they can be and that this defense can be one of the top units in the league, with an easier stretch of games still to come.