Following the Buffalo Bills’ 38-20 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 5, here’s where some national media outlets put Buffalo in their latest power rankings:
USA TODAY
5. Bills (6): After exacting retribution in Kansas City, surging Buffalo can get more of the same Sunday in Nashville, where they got blown out 42-16 by the Titans last year during a game played on a Tuesday night due to Tennessee’s COVID-19 outbreak.
Touchdown Wire
1. Buffalo Bills (4-1)
Last week: 1
The Bills, for now, signaled a changing of the guard in the AFC. There’s a long season left, but there’s little doubt who the best team in the conference is after their beating up of the Chiefs.
Sports Illustrated
2. Buffalo Bills (4—1)
Last week: Win vs. Kansas City, 38–20
Next week: at Tennessee (Monday)The most impressive team through five weeks, no question. And it really goes back to last year. Their four-game winning streak has come with an aggregate score of 156–41, and they’ve won 10 of their last 11 regular-season games, with nine of those wins coming by double-digits and the tenth one by 9 points.
Sporting News
3. Buffalo Bills 4-1 (4)
The Bills put up a much better fight against the Chiefs on the road on Sunday night and Josh Allen finally outdueled Patrick Mahomes. They will be better positioned in the eventual rematch at some point in the playoffs.
Yahoo! Sports
2. Buffalo Bills (4-1, LW: 2)
Tight end Dawson Knox’s emergence is one of a dozen or more good signs for the Bills. Knox was an intriguing athlete but hadn’t done much for two seasons, and now he has five touchdowns in five games. The Bills are loaded on both sides of the ball, and that’s why they’ve taken over as the favorites in the AFC.
Bleacher Report
3. Buffalo Bills (4-1)
Last Week: 4
Week 5 Result: Won at Kansas City 38-20
The term “statement win” gets thrown around a lot in the NFL.
But Sunday night in Kansas City, the Buffalo Bills absolutely earned one. After falling to the Chiefs at Arrowhead in last year’s AFC Championship Game, the Bills exacted some revenge, blasting the Chiefs on their own field in a game that wasn’t as close as the final score.
This was a dominant performance. Josh Allen scorched the Chiefs defense for 315 yards and three scores through the air and led the team with 59 yards and a score on the ground. Defensively, the Bills harassed Patrick Mahomes all night long, picking him off twice and returning one for a score.
“The Bills are one step closer to claiming the title of the AFC’s best squad and arguably the NFL’s best overall,” Sobleski said. “After a surprising Week 1 letdown, Buffalo won its next four contests by a combined score of 156-41. However, Sunday’s performance against the Kansas City Chiefs finally showed what Sean McDermott’s squad can really do after beating up on inferior competition during the previous three weeks. The Bills will further earn their place at the top with each outstanding performance.”
Pro Football Talk
1. Bills (4-1, last week No. 1): There’s currently a gap between the Bills and everyone else.
NFL.com
1. Buffalo Bills
Defeating the Chiefs in October and defeating them in January are two very different beasts, but that doesn’t mean Sunday night’s 38-20 stomping of the defending conference champs wasn’t important. For the Bills, it was affirmation of what they already believed: With superstar quarterback Josh Allen out front, they can beat anyone. They might even embarrass you. That’s what happened at Arrowhead Stadium, where Patrick Mahomes struggled to find any rhythm against a Buffalo defense that played like it knew what was coming. Bills defenders might tell you they did, which is a credit to Sean McDermott and his entire coaching staff. Buffalo is a juggernaut.
ESPN
1. Buffalo Bills (4-1)
Previous ranking: 1
Most improved player: WR Emmanuel Sanders
How they’ve improved: This isn’t a particularly difficult decision. Sanders — the oldest player on the Bills’ roster — has exploded in his 12th NFL season and is a key piece of the offense as a downfield weapon. He has two games with two touchdowns already this season, including Sunday’s win over Kansas City. Prior to this season, Sanders had only six career games with two or more touchdowns, and the last was in 2017. Outside of his scoring, Sanders is averaging a career-high 16.9 yards per reception, as opposed to his average target depth last year with the Saints — a career-low 8.98 yards. He has transformed into one of quarterback Josh Allen’s favorite targets.
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