With the playoffs looming the Bills still have a chance to change the narrative that they haven’t beaten a quality opponent this season. Everyone has some talent on their roster if they’ve made the playoffs, the Houston Texans included.
But before the Bills get their opportunity to do so, the end of season power rankings were released this week across various national outlets. Those media polls saw the Bills finish mostly in the top-10.
Here’s a rundown of the Bills’ placement in some national power ranking polls following the regular season:
Touchdown Wire
8. Buffalo Bills
(10-6. Last week: 8)
The Bills lost to the Jets in a game that had no playoff implications. That’s why coach Sean McDermott barely played quarterback Josh Allen and many of his starters. The Bills will face Houston in the first round of the playoffs. Anything the Bills do in this year’s postseason is gravy. It’s more about the future. With Tom Brady getting older, New England can’t own the AFC East forever. The Dolphins and Jets have some rebuilding to do. The Bills already are good and could overtake the Patriots next year.
USA Today
11. Buffalo Bills (-2)
As Josh Allen readies for playoff debut, he’ll surely face questions as to whether he can keep pace against counterparts like Deshaun Watson.
NFL.com
10. Bills (10-6)
Previous rank: No. 10
The Bills went into Sunday’s regular-season finale against the Jets with nothing to play for but a shiny 11-5 finish. They didn’t get it, and they ended up losing some key players to injury despite resting multiple starters. Starting cornerback Levi Wallace was ruled out after suffering a nasty-looking ankle injury on an interception of Sam Darnold. Offensive lineman Ty Nsekhe aggravated an ankle injury in his first action since Week 11. Josh Allen was lifted after just two series, and Matt Barkley reminded us that, well, the Bills need Josh Allen to stay healthy. The standout on offense was reserve wideout Duke Williams, who had six catches for 108 yards on a team-high 12 targets. A nice showcase for Williams, but he’ll likely return to the sidelines when the Bills starters emerge from hibernation Saturday in Houston.
Sports Illustrated
9. Buffalo Bills (10-6)
Previous rank: 9
Points in poll: 162
Highest-place vote: 9 (4 voters)
Lowest-place vote: 12 (1 voter)
Last week’s result: Lost to N.Y. Jets, 13-6
This week: at Houston in wild-card roundIf a great defense is the recipe for a wild-card playoff sleeper, then maybe the Bills are the perfect dark-horse candidate. Either way, they made great progress this year.
ESPN
9. Buffalo Bills (10-6)
Week 17 ranking: 9
Most notable 2010s event: The end of “The Drought,” Dec. 31, 2017
One could make the argument for Terry and Kim Pegula’s purchase of the team, but the end of a 17-season playoff drought brought hope to a fan base and raised the standards for the franchise. Sean McDermott and Brandon Beane’s early success earned them the benefit of the doubt during a six-win season in 2018 and set the foundation for their second playoff appearance in three years in 2019. Buffalo earned that wild-card berth in 2017 thanks to a last-minute touchdown pass from Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton to Tyler Boyd to beat the Ravens; both players are still revered in Buffalo.
Yahoo! Sports
8. Buffalo Bills (10-6, LW: 8)
The matchup that could determine the first wild-card game is Bills cornerback Tre’Davious White against Texans receiver DeAndre Hopkins. That’s as good as it gets.
CBS Sports
9. Bills
Resting players was the right thing to do this past week Now they have to make it pay off on the road against the Texans.
Bleacher Report
11. Buffalo Bills (10-6)
High: 10
Low: 11
Last Week: 10
Week 17 Result: Lost vs. New York 13-6Let’s get this out of the way: Sunday’s loss to the New York Jets didn’t matter even a little. The Bills were already locked into the AFC’s No. 5 seed and had nothing to play for. Buffalo will still head to Houston next week to face the Texans.
Therein lies the rub for a Bills team that won 10 games and made the postseason for the second time in three years. You see, the Bills haven’t really beaten anyone this year.
They played five games this season against teams that will play on next week, including two in the division against the rival New England Patriots. Buffalo was 1-4 in those games, with the only victory a 14-7 win over the sixth-seeded Tennessee Titans in early October.
“In theory, the Bills have what it takes to succeed in the playoffs. They can run the ball, play defense and dictate tempo,” Davenport said. “But at some point in the postseason, it comes down to quarterbacks making plays. And while Josh Allen has made strides in his second season, there isn’t a signal-caller in the AFC bracket in whom I have less confidence.”
Sporting News
8. Buffalo Bills, 10-6 (8)
The Bills have played a physical style with timely big plays, and Sean McDermott needs to be a strong coach of the year candidate. They really needed to rest those indispensable bodies against the Jets, and they will go into the wild-card game in Houston with full, relentless force.
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