Here is how the Buffalo Bills fared in national power rankings polls heading into Week 18 following their 29-15 win over the Atlanta Falcons:
USA TODAY
7. Bills (7): They’re headed to postseason for the third straight year. The question is, how long will they stay given Trevor Lawrence is the only player with more interceptions than Josh Allen, who’s stuck on 15.
Touchdown Wire
8. Buffalo Bills (10-6)
Last week: 8The Bills beat the Falcons 29-15 but things were even a bit closer than that. Buffalo appeared to be gearing up to roll Atlanta, but QB Josh Allen’s three interceptions kept them in it. The Bills did expertly adjust their game plan, at least.
Bleacher Report
5. Buffalo Bills (10-6)
Last Week: 7
Week 17 Result: Won vs. Atlanta 29-15
The Buffalo Bills are in the postseason again. And with a win next week over the New York Jets, the Bills can claim a second consecutive AFC East title.
Those are causes for celebration. Buffalo’s play in Sunday’s win over the Atlanta Falcons? Not so much.
The Bills did get the ground game going Sunday—Devin Singletary piled up 110 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries, while quarterback Josh Allen added another 81 yards and two scores of his own on the ground.
But Allen’s day passing the ball was one best forgotten—just 11 completions in 26 attempts for 120 yards and three interceptions. Allen himself admitted after the win that his teammates picked up his slack in Week 17.
“Not every game you win is going to be pretty, and that was the case today,” Allen told reporters. “I’m just fortunate to have teammates that step up in big situations like this.”
Against a mediocre Falcons team, Buffalo’s mistakes didn’t cost them. They may not next week against the Jets, either.
But the Bills have things to clean up before the playoffs start because if they play in the postseason the way they did in Week 17, their playoff trip won’t be a long one.
NFL.com
6. Buffalo Bills (10-6)
The Bills handled business at home against the Falcons, but not in the way you might have imagined. Stefon Diggs dropped a sure touchdown pass, and Josh Allen threw interceptions on three consecutive drives, but Buffalo got a surprise monster contribution from its running game in a closer-than-it-looks 29-15 win. The Bills piled up 233 yards on the ground, with Allen and Devin Singletary each scoring twice. Allen needs to clean up his play, but this was an overall a good sign for a Brian Daboll offense that could use more balance.
Yahoo! Sports
4. Buffalo Bills (10-6, LW: 6)
Josh Allen had three interceptions and a 17 passer rating on Sunday. It was a snowy field but that doesn’t excuse all of his bad decisions. Why is it so hard for these Bills to have everything clicking at once?
Sporting News
9. Buffalo Bills 10-6 (9)
The Bills stumbled for a while against the Falcons before they let Josh Allen take over another game, with more welcome support from Devin Singletary in the traditional running game. The defense also bounced back when needed to go into the playoffs well.
Pro Football Talk
8. Bills (10-6, No. 8): They need Devin Singletary to keep doing what he did on Sunday.
CBS Sports
4. Bills (+2)
It took them a while to get rolling against the Falcons, but they did so in the second half. If they beat the Jets this week, they win the AFC East.
ESPN
6. Buffalo Bills (10-6)
Previous ranking: 7New Year’s resolution: Find ways to win close games
The Bills are on their way to the playoffs and need a win over the Jets or a Patriots loss to the Dolphins to clinch the division for a second straight year. But Buffalo had the potential to take care of its path to the playoffs much earlier. Instead, the Bills have gone 0-5 in one-score games, with the offense having late opportunities to win the game or tie in four of those and falling just short. It’s not an easy thing to fix, like providing gloves for Sean McDermott’s clapping hands or finding a dominant running back of the future, but it’s something that needs to get corrected for a team that should be in contention for years to come.
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