Here is how the Buffalo Bills fared in national power rankings polls heading into Week 12 following their 41-15 loss against the Indianapolis Colts:
USA TODAY
12. Bills (6): Scrutiny on a struggling crew was already building, and now Buffalo will have to figure out its issues on a national stage – the next two games on Thanksgiving night (at New Orleans) and a Monday nighter against New England in Week 13 … preceding a road trip to Tampa.
Touchdown Wire
10. Buffalo Bills (6-4)
Last week: 5A pitiful display by the Bills as they have a lot of soul searching to do. Their defense was blown out while QB Josh Allen couldn’t get much going when counted on to keep things closer in a 41-15 loss vs. the Colts. Things are far from over, but no one expected them to be looking up at the Patriots in the AFC East, and now they are.
Sporting News
11. Buffalo Bills 6-4 (5)
The Bills got in their own way against the Colts. The run defense suddenly wilted and the Josh Allen-led offense had a fundamental breakdown. They’ve shockingly reached a late-season crossroads after falling hard from “new AFC favorites” to “near AFC also-rans.”
Bleacher Report
8. Buffalo Bills (6-4)
Last Week: 6
Week 11 Result: Lost vs. Indianapolis 41-15
Back in Week 9, the Bills suffered the biggest upset of the season, falling 9-6 in Jacksonville. As ugly as that loss was, they appeared to put it behind them when they pounded the New York Jets in Week 10.
In Week 11, the Bills were on the receiving end of a pounding. And thanks to their blowout loss at home against the Indianapolis Colts, Buffalo fell out of first place in the AFC East.
Colts running back Jonathan Taylor gouged the Bills for over 200 total yards and five touchdowns. The Bills had almost as many turnovers (four) as they did third-down conversions (five).
While speaking to reporters after the game, Bills quarterback Josh Allen insisted the team wasn’t panicking about its recent struggles.
“We’re a really good football team when we don’t bite ourselves in the butt. What we put on the field today is not who we are,” Allen said. “We need to do a better job on all fronts. There’s no way around it, but at the same time, it’s not panic mode.”
The Bills might not be panicking yet, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be soon. After a road game in New Orleans on Thanksgiving night, they have their first meeting of the season with the rival Patriots, followed by a trip to Tampa.
It’s a tough stretch for a team that has been up-and-down in recent weeks.
NFL.com
7. Buffalo Bills (6-4)
The alarm bell has been sounded in Western New York — and rightfully so. The Colts came to town and made themselves at home on Sunday, dominating the Bills in all three phases of a 41-15 blowout victory. Jonathan Taylor scored five touchdowns and gained 185 of Indy’s 264 rushing yards, the most surrendered by a Buffalo defense in three years. Josh Allen and the offense weren’t much better: The quarterback threw two interceptions and fumbled once as the Bills’ attack continued to look average when the Jets aren’t prominently involved. Now a second-place team, Buffalo will be under the microscope on Thanksgiving night in New Orleans.
CBS Sports
11. Bills (-8)
They are starting to look like a big disappointment if they don’t get it going. That won’t be easy at New Orleans Thursday night.
Pro Football Talk
11. Bills (6-4, No. 7): Brian Daboll needs to quit auditioning for his next job and start focusing on his current one.
Yahoo! Sports
11. Buffalo Bills (6-4, lost to Indianapolis Colts)
Take the game film from this matchup and incinerate it. The Bills were haggard and battered by the Colts. And they need to forget it: Thanksgiving Day will be here quickly. Next: at New Orleans Saints (Thursday)
ESPN
12. Buffalo Bills (6-4)
Previous ranking: 6
Most memorable Thanksgiving game: Bills topple Cowboys 26-15 on Nov. 28, 2019
O.J. Simpson had a record-breaking performance on Thanksgiving Day in 1976, rushing for 273 yards on 29 carries and finishing with two scores. But that game ended with a loss to the Lions during a 2-12 season for Buffalo. Instead, some recency bias is leaking in, and it’s the last Bills game on Thanksgiving that gets the nod. It was the team’s first game on the holiday in 25 years. The win over the Cowboys was a coming-out statement for the Bills and quarterback Josh Allen and helped put them on the national radar, with high expectations remaining ever since.
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