The Buffalo Bills have gotten some footing back ahead of some of the toughest matchups in their schedule this season, defeating the New England Patriots 24-21 at home in Week 8. The Bills are now 6-2 overall and are 4-0 against their divisional opponents.

With the only remaining inner division games remaining against New England and Miami in the final two games of the regular season, Buffalo must now look to build on that momentum and turn their focus to squaring off against some of the league’s top teams from the NFC, beginning with the Seattle Seahawks next week.

Some defensive heroics stopped Buffalo’s opponents’ drive to seal the win for the second week in a row, but would it be enough to help their standing in NFL power rankings polls?

Here is a look at where the Bills now sit in national polls in Week 9:

USA Today

9. Bills (10)

They’ve surrendered 20+ points in six games this season … matching last year’s total, which included Buffalo’s playoff loss at Houston.

Touchdown Wire

6. Buffalo Bills (6-2. Last Week 8)

Over fifteen years ago two storied sports franchises — one in New York and the other in New England — squared off for a pivotal matchup. That was of course between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees in the 2004 ALCS. In the run up to that series, Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling was asked about the “mystique and aura” of playing against the Yankees in such a pivotal series, and in the hallowed ground of Yankee Stadium.

Bills fans must have felt something similar heading into this contest against the New England Patriots. While their rivals seemed perhaps on their deathbed here in the 2020 season, Buffalo had a chance to perhaps deliver that final knockout blow.

But in the back of every Bills fans’ mind – if my appearances on Buffalo radio over the past seven days are any indication – there was a fear that Bill Belichick would find a way to steal a victory in Buffalo, evading the fate Bills fans were hoping for and perhaps saving New England’s season.

In the end, mystique and aura could only do so much. The Bills relied on their running game on a raw and rainy afternoon, and a one-two punch of Devin Singletary and Zach Moss to bolster their offense in a 24-21 victory. And while the Bills defense struggled to stop the Patriots running game, they managed to force the big turnover late when it looked like mystique and aura were going to play a role, forcing a fumble from quarterback Cam Newton to prevent a Patriots’ comeback.

This was the kind of game that Bills fans were hoping for for decades. The knockout punch to spell the end of a Patriots season. Perhaps this is the start of something much new and different in the AFC East.

Sports Illustrated

6. Buffalo Bills (6-2)

Last Week: Win vs. New England

Next week: vs. Seattle

Though this has been an uncharacteristic season for Buffalo’s chief AFC East rival, a win against the Patriots was an affirmatory step needed for this auspicious Bills start. Still, Josh Allen has cooled since his hot start and the Bills have a tough schedule ahead.

NFL.com

8. Buffalo Bills (6-2)

Previous rank: No. 8

The Bills beat the Patriots at home for the first time in nine years, as sure a sign as any that the power balance in the AFC East has finally shifted after two decades of New England dominance. Defensive tackle Justin Zimmer played the hero, forcing a Cam Newton fumble deep in Buffalo territory in the final minute to save the day. Josh Allen and the passing game struggled to get going in blustery conditions, but Devin Singletary and Zack Moss combined for 167 yards on 28 carries, with two Moss scores. That’s back-to-back season-high rushing performances for the Bills, who entered Sunday 29th in the league in rushing. If Allen can’t get back on track next week against the lowly Seahawks defense, we’ll know something is wrong.

Sporting News

7. Buffalo Bills 5-2 (9)

The Bills don’t care how they beat the Patriots to open up a 3.5-game lead in the AFC East. They are well positioned to win their first division title in 25 years and have rebounded with two gritty victories after losing to the Chiefs and the Titans. A good development is getting more out of their running game.

Yahoo! Sports

9. Buffalo Bills (6-2, LW: 9)

Finally beating the Patriots and practically knocking them out of the AFC East race was a big deal. But it has been weeks since the Bills looked good, and they almost blew Sunday’s game against a New England team that is decimated due to personnel losses, opt-outs and injuries. Maybe finally slaying the dragon will lead to them playing better in the second half. The talent is there.

CBS Sports

6. Bills (+2)

That was a big-time victory against the Patriots, even if it wasn’t pretty. The run defense has to be better.

Bleacher Report

10. Buffalo Bills (6-2)

High: 7

Low: 12

Last Week: 10

Week 8 Result: Won vs. New England 24-21

It’s been a quarter-century since the Buffalo Bills won the AFC East. They took a big step toward ending that dry spell in Week 8 by dispatching the team that has ruled the division for the past two decades.

It wasn’t the prettiest game, but the Bills snapped a seven-game losing streak to the New England Patriots, grinding out a three-point win that pleased veteran safety Jordan Poyer.

“It feels amazing,” Poyer told reporters afterward. “It feels good to be 4-0 in the AFC East, it feels good to come out with a victory at home. It was a grind. We didn’t play the way we wanted to, but we got the victory.”

The Miami Dolphins are still surprisingly lurking only 1.5 games behind the Bills. But it’s abundantly clear that Buffalo is the class of the division, and it will be an upset if they don’t win the East,

“Buffalo’s win over the Patriots may not have been pretty (a last-minute fumble by Cam Newton sealed the deal), but it doesn’t matter,” Sobleski wrote. “Why? The Bills had to overcome the AFC East bully and finally stake their claim as the division’s best. New England didn’t find a way to pull out a win. Bill Belichick didn’t work his magic. The Bills forced their own path. In doing so, they don’t have to worry about being beaten down by the King Kong-sized gorilla that dominated the division for so long.”

The question now is whether the Bills are capable of making noise in the playoffs. It’s a question we may have an answer to relatively soon. Before their Week 11 bye, the Bills face two NFC contenders in the 6-1 Seattle Seahawks at home followed by a trip to Arizona to battle the 5-2 Cardinals.

Pro Football Talk

9. Bills (No. 9; 6-2)

8. Bills (No. 9; 6-2): They’re heading for the playoffs, and quite possibly an early exit from them.

ESPN

7. Buffalo Bills (6-2)

Week 8 ranking: 8

Reason for optimism: Improved offense

Even though the Bills have recently cooled off following their hot start to the season, Buffalo’s 2020 offense is drastically improved from the 2019 version, which finished 24th in the NFL in yards per game and 23rd in points per game. The Bills currently rank 13th in terms of yards, thanks in large part to a passing attack finally capable of effectively moving the ball when it needs to. Sunday’s 190-yard rushing performance is a good sign that the run game is catching up, and this team could still close the season with a top-10 offense in the league.

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