Tag: bills power rankings

Power Rankings: Bills end season as NFL’s hottest team

Buffalo Bills in NFL power ranking polls for Week 17.

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The Buffalo Bills followed up a 48-point performance against the Denver Broncos with a dominant 56-26 performance in Sunday’s regular-season finale against the Miami Dolphins. While improving to 13-3, the Bills completed a season sweep of their AFC East rivals ahead of a Wild Card round playoff matchup with the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday.

All things considered, after that thrashing of the Dolphins, Buffalo’s third-straight win of 29 or more, the Bills enter the 2020 playoffs as the league’s hottest team. Even the season-ending power rankings agree.

With that, here’s how the Bills sit in national polls following Week 17:

USA Today

3. Bills (3)

They’re arguably the league’s best team … and almost certainly its hottest, Buffalo’s average margin of victory over the last six weeks nearly three touchdowns.

Touchdown Wire

3. Buffalo Bills

(13-3. Last Week: 3)

With a win Sunday over the visiting Miami Dolphins the Buffalo Bills, or a loss by the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Bills would secure the second-overall seed in the playoffs. With the Steelers making the decision to sit down Ben Roethlisberger, it would be interesting to see how head coach Sean McDermott handled his starters. Would he pull them at some point or finish through the tape?

McDermott pulled them, but that did not stop the Bills from hanging a 50-burger on the Dolphins. Josh Allen threw three touchdowns, Matt Barkley threw one coming on in relief, and the Bills made the case yet again that if there is a threat to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC, it is Buffalo.

Sports Illustrated

3. Buffalo Bills (13-3)

Points in poll: 212
Highest-place vote: 2 (3)
Lowest-place vote: 4 (1)
Last week: win vs. Miami 56–26
Next week: vs. Indianapolis

The Bills swept the AFC East and tied a franchise record for wins this season, and now have their eyes set on even bigger goals.

Sporting News

5. Buffalo Bills 13-3 (AFC No. 2 seed)

The Bills (13-3) are down here behind three NFC teams because they play in the AFC facing the big obstacle of the Chiefs, who beat them by a solid nine points in the regular season while containing Josh Allen, the conference’s second-most dangerous QB after Mahomes.

The Bills certainly are capable of outscoring the Chiefs if needed, but the concerns would be having ample defensive holes for Mahomes and the Chiefs’ running game to exploit. They are helped by their recent playoff experience (albeit losing) with coach Sean McDermott and the emotions that will come from making an always-proud franchise a Super Bowl contender again.

Yahoo! Sports

2. Buffalo Bills (13-3, LW: 2)

John Brown played for the first time since Nov. 15 and had 72 yards and a touchdown. Getting Brown healthy right before the playoffs is another good sign for the Bills. He can be an important factor this month.

Bleacher Report

3. Buffalo Bills (13-3, AFC No. 2 Seed)

High: 3

Low: 3

On Saturday, the Buffalo Bills will do something they haven’t done since 1996: host a postseason game.

No team is entering the postseason with more momentum than Buffalo, either. Sunday’s blowout win over the Miami Dolphins put a cap on a season from Josh Allen that was the best ever by a Bills quarterback.

In fact, Allen is the first quarterback in league history to pass for more than 4,500 yards and 35 touchdowns with five rushing scores, according to BuffaloNews.com.

Per Sobleski, Allen’s presence might just make the Bills the toughest out in all of the AFC.

“Allen may not be named the 2020 NFL MV—that nod will eventually go to Aaron Rodgers—but no quarterback is more difficult to defend today,” he said. “Everything came together for the 24-year-old, who finished among the top five this season in completion percentage (69.2), passing yardage (4,544), touchdown passes (37) and quarterback rating (107.2) while adding 421 yards and eight scores on the ground. Trying to stop Allen and Stefon Diggs has been nearly impossible this season, which makes the Bills arguably the AFC’s scariest postseason opponent.”

While the Bills are rolling, safety Micah Hyde told reporters after the Dolphins game that the real work now begins.

“We’ve played some pretty good ball lately, we understand that,” Hyde said. “But we’ve got to keep it going. I think it starts in practice this week. We’re coming off some big wins, so we gained a little momentum, we’ll assume that. … At the end of the day, we got some momentum, so we’ll keep it going.”

If the Bills continue to play the way they did against Miami in Week 17, they have the best chance of preventing the Chiefs from making it back to the Super Bowl for a second consecutive year.

Pro Football Talk

1. Bills (last week No. 2; 12-3)

Four resounding wins in four straight nationally-televised games shows that the Bills are ready to win multiple games in January.

ESPN

3. Buffalo Bills (13-3)

Week 16 ranking: 2

The Bills are a tough team to find a resolution for — they’re doing almost everything well as the regular season rounds out. But after winning the AFC East for the first time in 25 years, it’ll be hard to play the underdog card that Buffalo has often played the past two seasons. There will be raised expectations for the Bills once the calendar turns; they’ll need to be as comfortable with a target on their backs as they were with a chip on their shoulders.

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Power Rankings: One outlet names Bills NFL’s best team

Buffalo Bills in NFL power rankings polls after Week 16 of the 2020 NFL season.

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The Buffalo Bills are officially at the top of the mountain.

At least according to one national power ranking poll this week.

The Bills (12-3) defeated the New England Patriots in convincing fashion, 38-9, on Monday Night Football. The team is, of course, much more worried about playoff seeding than what a power ranking says about them.

The Bills will be no less than the No. 3 seed in the AFC playoff picture, but could very likely hold as the No. 2 seed with things are all said and done in the regular season. But nonetheless, it’s the type of thing that few ever imagined seeing and it happened. 

As the team rides a five game-winning streak, here’s where they rank among national power ranking polls after Week 16:

USA Today

3. Bills (3)

AFC field shaping up so Josh Allen might face Patrick Mahomes in conference title game. How much fun would that gunslinger showdown be?

Touchdown Wire

3. Buffalo Bills

(12-3. Last Week: 3)

It’s like when Happy Gilmore learned to putt. But this season Josh Allen is starting to deliver some moments that leave you scratching your head and wondering how in the word you defend him. Whether it was a seam route throw to Dawson Knox against a spot-drop Cover 3 look that he fit in over the dropping linebacker and in front of the safety, or a scramble drill throw late into the front corner of the end zone that should have been a touchdown, or his touchdown late in the first half to Stefon Diggs that was put on the money, with perfect velocity while the QB had a defender in his face. Those moments where you just throw your notepad across the room and mutter “this freakin’ guy.”

Sports Illustrated

4. Buffalo Bills (12-3)

Last week: Win at New England 38–9
Next week: vs. Miami

Some say they had already clinched the AFC East, but it really took that pantsing of the Patriots in Foxboro, before a national audience, to really make it official.

Sporting News

3. Buffalo Bills 12-3 (3)

The Bills have taken care of the AFC East title and now need to tune up so they position themselves well between the Chiefs and Steelers to stay longer in the playoffs with Josh Allen.

Yahoo! Sports

2. Buffalo Bills (12-3, LW: 2)

Anyone else getting excited for a Bills-Chiefs AFC championship game? That could be a lot of fun.

Bleacher Report

3. Buffalo Bills 12-3

High: 3

Low: 3

Last Week: 3

Week 16 Result: Won vs. New England 38-9

The Kansas City Chiefs are widely regarded as the favorites to represent the AFC in Super Bowl LV. The Chiefs are 14-1, the defending champs and own a win over the Bills.

But if Monday’s blowout of the New England Patriots is any indication, the Bills aren’t far off—at all.

The Bills destroyed an overmatched team at Gillette Stadium. Josh Allen had all day in the pocket and made the most of it with 320 passing yards and four scores in just over three quarters of work. Wide receiver Stefon Diggs set a new franchise record for receiving yards (and helped more than a few folks win fantasy championships) with nine catches for 145 yards and three scores.

The Bills can wrap up the No. 2 seed in the AFC (and knock another division rival out of the playoffs) next week with a win over the Miami Dolphins.

And there isn’t a team in the conference that wants to play this one right now—the Chiefs included.

Pro Football Talk

1. Bills (last week No. 2, 12-3)

Four resounding wins in four straight nationally-televised games shows that the Bills are ready to win multiple games in January.

ESPN

3. Buffalo Bills 12-3

Week 16 ranking: 2

New Year’s resolution: Get comfortable with a target on their back.

The Bills are a tough team to find a resolution for — they’re doing almost everything well as the regular season rounds out. But after winning the AFC East for the first time in 25 years, it’ll be hard to play the underdog card that Buffalo has often played the past two seasons. There will be raised expectations for the Bills once the calendar turns; they’ll need to be as comfortable with a target on their backs as they were with a chip on their shoulders.

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Power Rankings: Are Bills-Chiefs on collision course for rematch?

The Buffalo Bills defeated the Denver Broncos convincingly, 48-19, during the Week 15 slate of NFL games to improve to 11-3, all while winning their first AFC East divisional title since “Wonderwall” was a hit. With another loss this week by a …

The Buffalo Bills defeated the Denver Broncos convincingly, 48-19, during the Week 15 slate of NFL games to improve to 11-3, all while winning their first AFC East divisional title since “Wonderwall” was a hit.

With another loss this week by a previous opponent for the Bills, the Pittsburgh Steelers, Buffalo is currently in possession of the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoff picture as well. As the second-place team, that brings the No. 1 crew to the forefront for many in Buffalo: The Kansas City Chiefs. 

Could these two teams be on a collision course for a rematch in the AFC Championship game? In terms of the standings and power rankings alike, it’s looking like they could be.

With that, here’s a rundown of where the Bills sit in the national power rankings polls following Week 15: 

USA Today

3. Bills (4)

QB Josh Allen spreads wealth nicely, Buffalo’s 13 players with TD grabs tying league record … though one of those scores belongs to Allen himself.

Touchdown Wire

3. Buffalo Bills

(11-3. Last Week: 3)

The Buffalo Bills last secured the AFC East in 1995. Back then, you would have been reading this through either America Online or Prodigy, as that was the first year the internet became fully privatized and those two companies released web browsers to the general public. Bill Clinton was President of the United States, and Jim Kelly was taking the snaps for the Bills.

Of course, that changed this weekend. With their win on Saturday over the Denver Broncos, the Bills earned the AFC East title, dethroning the New England Patriots.

Sure, there is time to talk about how Buffalo might be the most dangerous team in the AFC right now. Time to talk about how the defense has improved in recent weeks to become the unit most were expecting to see when this year began. Time to talk about what the acquisition of Stefon Diggs has meant to this offense and its quarterback. And of course time to talk about that quarterback, Josh Allen, and what his growth and development this season means for the organization, the future in Buffalo and how quarterbacks will be evaluated in years to come.

But for now, from someone who grew up a Patriots fan: Congratulations Bills, and to all the Bills fans out there.

Sports Illustrated

2. Buffalo Bills (11-3)

Last week: Win at Denver 48–19
Next week: at New England (Mon.)

Josh Allen’s all grown up, and so is this Bills group—and it’s no mistake they’re here. Four years of building has manifested in an AFC power that looks like it could be Kansas City’s long-term foil in the conference.

NFL.com

2. Buffalo Bills (11-3)

Previous rank: No. 4

When you haven’t won a division title since “Wonderwall” was on the charts, you don’t go in through the back door. The Bills announced themselves as AFC East champions with authority, bludgeoning the Broncos in a 48-19 coronation at Mile High. Josh Allen accounted for four more touchdowns in his latest superstar-level performance, while the rising Buffalo defense continued its December surge. Buffalo piled up 534 yards of total offense, led by playmaking wideouts Stefon Diggs and Cole Beasley, who will soon become the first Bills receivers to go over 1,000 yards in the same season since Peerless Price and Eric Moulds back in 2002. The Bills are a rising tidal wave headed for the great wall that is the Kansas City Chiefs.

Sporting News

3. Buffalo Bills 11-3 (3)

The Bills are locked in offensively because of Josh Allen doing everything well again. For a second straight game, their defense played off that prowess to make big plays to finish off teams. They have developed as the best AFC threat to the Chiefs.

Pro Football Talk

2. Buffalo Bills (No. 2; 11-3)

If anyone from The Field is going to beat the Chiefs, it’s the Bills.

Yahoo! Sports

2. Buffalo Bills (11-3, LW: 3)

The Bills get a small bump up the power rankings, not because of the Packers but because Buffalo continued to get better as the season goes on. This is an impressive team without one bad loss all season.

CBS Sports

3. Buffalo Bills (11-3)

They are flying high on offense now. The Bills have already won the AFC East, which is the first time since 1996. They will be dangerous come playoff time.

Bleacher Report

3. Buffalo Bills (11-3)

High: 3

Low: 3

Last Week: 3

Week 15 Result: Won vs. Denver 48-19

The last time the Buffalo Bills were champions of the AFC East, Bill Clinton was in his first term as president. The top grossing movie that year was Batman Forever (the Val Kilmer one). The highest-selling album was Cracked Rear View by Hootie and the Blowfish. Bills quarterback Josh Allen wasn’t even born yet.

In other words: 1995 was a long time ago.

Twenty-five years later, the Bills are kings of the division once again after blasting the Broncos in Denver. But as Allen told his teammates after the game, the Bills have their sights set higher than just an AFC East title.

“We did something that nobody’s done in a long time,” Allen told reporters. “Understand what’s at stake, though. Understand what there is out there more for us. This hat’s fine and dandy. This hat and shirt’s fine and dandy. I want the one that says Super Bowl champs.”

Given that the Bills are playing arguably their best football of the season as the postseason nears. Allen’s aspiration isn’t unreasonable.

ESPN

2. Buffalo Bills (11-3)

Week 15 Ranking: 3

Most underrated star: WR Cole Beasley

While most of the focus on the Bills’ wide receiver corps has deservedly been on Stefon Diggs, Beasley has put together the best season of his career. He has set personal highs in receptions, yards and yards per catch, and with two games left, he is just 50 yards from his first 1,000-yard season. Beasley is a safety net for quarterback Josh Allen, and this offense would have a difficult time moving the ball without him — even with Diggs’ spectacular numbers.

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Power Rankings: Unless you’re the Chiefs, you’re (probably) below the Bills

Power rankings polls following the Buffalo Bills in Week 14.

The Buffalo Bills defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers, 26-15, on Sunday Night Football, during the Week 14 slate of NFL games and are now 10-3. The Bills inched closer to clinching a playoff spot. 

But really the focus isn’t on the Bills and Steelers in this week’s power rankings. Instead, it’s on the Bills and Kansas City Chiefs. 

Aside from Buffalo, there’s only one team in the league that’s consistently ranked higher and it’s the Chiefs… and hey, that’s a conversation the Bills will gladly accept. You vs. the defending champ? What more could one want?

With that, here’s exactly how some of the national power ranking polls break down the Bills after Week 14: 

USA Today

4. Bills (5)

What a year from WR Stefon Diggs, who leads the league with 100 grabs and will set Buffalo record for one season – he currently shares it with Eric Moulds – with his next reception.

Touchdown Wire

3. Buffalo Bills

(10-3. Last Week: 5)

Don’t look now, but the Buffalo Bills might be the second-best team in the AFC.

They made such a case on Sunday night, dispatching the Pittsburgh Steelers and showing strength on both sides of the football. In the first half it was their defense. While Josh Allen and company were struggling the Bills notched a defensive touchdown on this Pick-Six.

In the second half, the offense made their mark. Buffalo scored on their first two possessions of the third quarter, and on their second such touchdown drive Allen hit on three big passing plays, including a rocket shot for a touchdown to Gabriel Davis.

With the win, the Bills ensured that for the first time since 2008 a team outside of New England will win the AFC East. Buffalo can lock the division up next Saturday with a win over the Denver Broncos. But with how they are playing right now – on both sides of the ball – their eyes should be aimed higher.

Sports Illustrated

3. Buffalo Bills (10-3)

Last week: Win vs. Pittsburgh 26–15
Next week: at Denver

Washington ruined Buffalo’s chance to hand Pittsburgh its first defeat of the season, but this was nonetheless a statement win for the Bills, who are closing in on what would be their first AFC East crown since 1995.

Sporting News

3. Buffalo Bills 10-3 (5)

Josh Allen is red-hot again and the Bills are showing all kinds of offensive swag, led by Stefon Diggs. Their defense is also starting to come up with big plays. Taking down the 49ers and Steelers back to back in a short week is impressive.

Yahoo! Sports

3. Buffalo Bills (10-3, LW: 5)

The Bills defense played its best game of the season on Sunday night. We all know that side of the ball has talent, and has probably underachieved a bit this season. If the performance against the Steelers was a sign that the Bills can play like a top-10 defense the rest of the way, look out.

Bleacher Report

3. Buffalo Bills (10-3)

High: 3

Low: 4

Last Week: 5

Week 14 Result: Won vs. Pittsburgh 26-15

At 10-3, the Buffalo Bills are on the verge of their first AFC East title in a quarter-century.

Sunday night’s statement win over the Pittsburgh Steelers established the Bills as perhaps the biggest threat to Kansas City in the AFC. The Bills are riding as high as they have since the 1990s.

It’s funny how that coincided with the arrival of Stefon Diggs in western New York.

With 10 catches for 130 yards and a touchdown against the Steelers, Diggs has already tallied 1,167 receiving yards on 100 catches for the season. After the game, Bills quarterback Josh Allen raved about the impact Diggs has made for the team.

“All he wants to do is help his team win football games,” Allen told reporters. “He’s a competitor, and we have very similar mindsets. I love the guy. He goes out there and competes his tail off and I’m just super blessed that we traded for him.”

The tests aren’t over yet for the Bills, who face New England and Miami over the final two weeks of the regular season. But in Gagnon’s opinion, it’s well past time to take the Bills seriously as a Super Bowl threat.

“For a while, I was afraid to trust the Bills because they lack experience and their so-so scoring margin was concerning,” he said. “But they’ve now won four of their last five games by double-digit margins, and their only loss since Week 7 came on a Hail Mary on the road against a playoff-caliber team. It’s time to admit they’re a true contender.”

Pro Football Talk

2. Bills (No. 4; 10-3)

Some teams step up in December. Some teams don’t. The Bills are.

ESPN

3. Buffalo Bills (10-3)

Offense: 9

Defense: 15

Special Teams: 18

The Bills’ offense is a complete turnaround from last season’s anemic unit, as Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs have combined to form one of the most potent QB-WR duos in the NFL. Although their defense began the season hemorrhaging yards, it has regained its 2018 and 2019 form over the past few weeks. Mix in a special-teams unit that features the league’s most efficient returner in Andre Roberts, and you’ve got a team ready to make a deep playoff run.

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Power Rankings: Everyone thinks the Bills are top-five

The best time to strike in terms of the national power rankings polls is in primetime. That’s when all the eye are upon you. On Monday Night Football in Week 13, the Bills (9-3) ceased on that opportunity. A 34-24 win over the 49ers (5-7), Buffalo’s …

The best time to strike in terms of the national power rankings polls is in primetime. That’s when all the eye are upon you. 

On Monday Night Football in Week 13, the Bills (9-3) ceased on that opportunity. A 34-24 win over the 49ers (5-7), Buffalo’s first Monday win since 1999, gave fans and national analysts the same feeling, it appears. 

This team is good.

Following their latest win, Buffalo sits securely in the top-five of pretty much every power ranking poll across the national NFL landscape. 

Here’s a look at where the Bills sit among the national polls as they head into Week 14:

Touchdown Wire

5. Buffalo Bills

(9-3. Last Week: 5)

If nothing else, the second part of the Monday Night Football doubleheader gave us this memory to cherish forever.

It also gave us a solid win for the Buffalo Bills, who as ESPN’s graphics department illustrated for us remain alone in first place in the AFC East for the first time in a long time. Josh Allen delivered a few trademark highlight-reel moments, including this rocket shot of a throw while on the move to his right.

Buffalo also got short-yardage touchdowns from Cole Beasley, on this throw from Allen.

The offense celebrated with a nice little “rock-a-bye-baby” routine in the end zone.

And this plunge into the end zone from tight end Dawson Knox, with a little help from Stefon Diggs with a textbook, cut block in space.

The offense stayed hot into the second half as the Bills pulled away. Brian Daboll, another offensive coordinator who is going to get head coaching looks, dialed up this design to get wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie wide open off of jet motion for a touchdown.

Sporting News

5. Buffalo Bills 9-3 (6)

The Bills made another trip to Arizona for a very tough interconference game against the 49ers, but this time won in the desert. The pressure remains on to try to win their first division title in 25 years with the Dolphins and Patriots not relenting.

Yahoo! Sports

5. Buffalo Bills (9-3, LW: 7)

The Bills looked great on Monday night. That team we saw beat the 49ers can make a playoff run. They’ll get a nice test next week against a Steelers team coming off a loss. If Buffalo beats Pittsburgh, everyone will take notice of the Bills.

Bleacher Report

5. Buffalo Bills (9-3)

High: 5

Low: 5

Last Week: 5

Week 13 Result: Won at San Francisco 34-24

It’s been a long time since the Buffalo Bills posted back-to-back winning seasons. Or won the AFC East.

On Monday night in Arizona, they crossed one of those goals off the list and moved one step closer to accomplishing the second.

It’s not hard to pinpoint how the Bills defeated the San Francisco 49ers. Just as he has more than once this season, quarterback Josh Allen went off. For the game, he completed 80 percent of his 40 passing attempts for 375 yards and four scores. His passer rating was a robust 139.1.

It was an impressive performance. But it also came in a game the Bills were supposed to win. Buffalo’s next matchup will afford the team another opportunity to make a real statement ahead of the AFC playoffs.

If the Bills can down a wounded Pittsburgh Steelers team Sunday in Buffalo, it will go a long way toward legitimizing the team as a threat to represent the AFC in Super Bowl LV.

And given how the two teams looked in Week 13, it’s not a stretch to imagine the Bills doing just that.

Pro Football Talk

4. Bills (No. 4; 9-3)

The Bills are definitely ready for prime time.

ESPN

5. Buffalo Bills (9-3)

Week 13 ranking: 5

Person with most at stake: TE Dawson Knox

The Bills’ second-year tight end has underwhelmed in 2020. Part of that is due to injuries and COVID-19, but he hasn’t done much to build on an inspiring rookie season. With John Brown out at least the next two weeks, there are more targets to go around in Buffalo’s offense — and Knox will have an opportunity to show the front office it doesn’t need to look for other options at the position this upcoming offseason.

Note: Due to the NFL’s delay of Week 13’s Cowboys-Ravens meeting to Tuesday, not every power ranking poll was made available at time of publishing.  

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Bills’ Gabriel Davis on Cole Beasley TD pass: ‘I knew it was going to work’

Buffalo Bills WR Gabriel Davis, Cole Beasley on trick play vs. Los Angeles Chargers.

The Buffalo Bills defeated the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 12, 27-17, thanks to a good performance by the Buffalo defense, run game, and some career firsts.

While big plays are not uncommon for wide receiver Cole Beasley, an unexpected one came in the second quarter. The Bills receiver has had the NFL buzzing with catches on third down and plays in the red zone since signing with Buffalo (8-3), but beyond his clutch grabs he possesses another skill that helped the Bills earn a victory: His quarterback arm. 

Beasley threw his first NFL pass, and first since he was a high school quarterback, on a trick play with about 10 minutes left in the first half vs. the Chargers. Left wide open, rookie Gabriel Davis caught the 20-yard pass for a touchdown: 

The trickery was too much for the Chargers (3-8) defense to handle, and onlookers weren’t sure what was going to happen at first, as Beasley took an odd looking move into the backfield when he was called into motion by quarterback Josh Allen. 

Even with all the complexities going on, the Bills were confident the play was going to connect, especially Davis.

“It was great, I knew it was going to work. We run a lot of those bubble screens,” Davis said via video conference following the game. “Cole was able to put ‘a dart,’ he said he threw it kind of hard to get it in there… but it was a soft ball, an easy catch, glad we could make that connection.” 

Reflecting after the game, Beasley was also able to admit it maybe wasn’t much of a bullet pass. 

“It was really ugly, but it got there, I’ll take it,” Beasley said. 

Regardless, the biggest takeaway from the play wasn’t the velocity of the ball, it was the execution. Perfect down to a tee. Davis said the Bills had been practicing the play for a couple of weeks in practice and the gun-slinger on the play gave all the credit to offensive coordinator Brian Daboll. 

“The timing in which (Daboll) calls [trick plays.]… Dabs has done a good job of mixing it up. He does a good job of keeping them off-balanced and that was one of those times right there,” Beasley said. 

Buffalo sports a number of players with past experience at the quarterback position, or at least an ability to throw the ball, offering possibilities for the type of “position-less football.” Daboll’s four passing touchdowns by non-quarterbacks since his first year with Buffalo in 2018 is tied with the Miami Dolphins for the most in the NFL.

Beasley joins fellow receiver Isaiah McKenzie, who threw a 12-yard TD pass back to Allen in the Bills’ game against the Cardinals, as only the second pair of non-QBs in franchise history to throw touchdown passes in a season.

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Power Rankings: Some go up, some go down for Bills following bye

Buffalo Bills power rankings polls following Week 11 bye.

Six games remain in the regular season for the Buffalo Bills, who are on track to win the AFC East and earn a playoff spot. But this is a story about the national power rankings heading. 

The biggest factor in that? Week 11, naturally. 

But here’s the twist, the Bills didn’t play a game last weekend as their yearly bye week rolled around. Despite Buffalo sitting last weekend out, other teams played and that still causes the Bills’ position to fluctuate in the polls.

Each week, such polls can be taken with a grain of salt. After a week the Bills don’t even play? A massive one. Still, let’s have some fun.  

Here are this week’s power ranking poll roundup for the Bills as they head into Week 12: 

USA TODAY

9. Bills (12)

Pretty good bye week given their AFC East lead on Miami grew to a full game. But defense that didn’t give up more than 31 points in 2019 is still a concern given Buffalo has been burned for 32+ four times already in 2020.

Touchdown Wire

7. Buffalo Bills (7-3. Week 11 Bye. Last week: 6)

During last week’s thrilling game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Buffalo Bills, I saw a tweet that got me thinking. There is some truth to that declaration. After all, if you think back to last year’s Wild Card game between the Bills and the Houston Texans, there was a whole mess of crazy in that game from Josh Allen. Laterals on plays like the above, downfield scramble drill vertical routes to double-covered fullbacks, and much more.

So the question facing the Bills in the second half is this: Will Josh Allen avoid the big mistake?

Allen has been a bit of a roller coaster at times, at least in previous seasons, but as D’Andrea points out in the above tweet, Allen has largely avoided those head-scratching moments we are used to seeing from him this season. He has taken care of the football, not made crazy mistakes, and right now the Bills have the upper hand in the AFC East with a game in hand over both the Miami Dolphins and the New England Patriots.

Provided Allen continues to avoid the big mistake, that might keep them atop the division.

Sports Illustrated

5. Buffalo Bills (7-3)

Josh Allen’s rise to stardom has masked a struggling defense, but the fact that they lost their No. 2 and 3 corners 24 hours before the trip to Arizona and still came within a Hail Mary of winning counts as encouraging. And with the Dolphins losing in Denver and struggling to figure out their quarterback situation, the likely worst-case scenario for the Bills is an AFC East championship game against Miami during Week 17 in Orchard Park.

NFL.com

7. Buffalo Bills (7-3)

Previous rank: No. 7

The weather is about ready to turn in Western New York, which means it’s time for the Bills to finally figure out their running game. It’s been a near-constant issue this season, and it puts too much pressure on Josh Allen and the passing game on a week-by-week basis. Sean McDermott told reporters at the beginning of the Week 11 bye that he wants to find ways to improve the ground attack, and you have to expect that might mean more opportunities for third-round rookie Zack Moss. Devin Singletary’s high-end abilities as a pass protector will keep him in the mix, but Moss deserves a shot to show what he can do in early-down situations. A subplot to watch Sunday against the Chargers.

Sporting News

6. Buffalo Bills 7-3 (6)

The Bills enjoyed a bye week by seeing both the Dolphins and Patriots lose behind them as favorites in their games. Buffalo, with the AFC East in hand and little chance to climb up in seeding, needs to just work on fine-tuning with Josh Allen and the defense. Finding a running game for December and January would help, too.

Yahoo! Sports

8. Buffalo Bills (7-3, LW: 10)

The Dolphins loss was a big one for the Bills, who are back to having some breathing room in the division. The Bills want to make sure a Week 17 game against the Dolphins doesn’t have any impact on the division race.

CBS Sports

8. Buffalo Bills (-3)

They come off the bye with a little breathing room in the division with Miami losing. They have to be better on defense down the stretch.

Bleacher Report

5. Buffalo Bills (7-3)

High: 5

Low: 9

Last Week: 8

Week 11 Result: Bye Week

The bye week came at an inopportune time for the Buffalo Bills, in that it gave them an extra week to stew while watching replays of the “Hail Murray” play that brought about their third loss of the season.

Despite that heartbreaker, the Bills are 7-3 for the second year in a row and come out of the bye in first place in the AFC East.

The schedule sets up relatively well down the stretch for the Bills. Only two of the team’s last six games are against teams that sport a winning record—a prime-time tilt with the undefeated Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 14 and the season finale against the surprising Miami Dolphins. Both of those games are in the friendly confines of Bills Stadium.

Part of the reason the NFL schedules so many intradivisional games on the last weekend of the regular season is to add some drama to Week 17.

With the Bills and Dolphins locked in a battle for a division that has belonged to the New England Patriots for the past decade-plus, that one could be for all the marbles.

Pro Football Talk

4. Bills (No. 8; 7-3)

 A showdown with the Steelers is looming, and a division title is waiting.

ESPN

5. Buffalo Bills (7-3)

Week 11 ranking: 7

What they’re thankful for: A franchise quarterback

Although he improved drastically in his second year, the jury was still out on Josh Allen being the Bills’ franchise quarterback. The thought was, by the middle of the 2020 season it would be clear whether he was worthy of the title. Ten games in, he has the Bills at 7-3, in position to win their first AFC East title since 1995, and ranks seventh in the NFL in passing yards. He is a legitimate MVP candidate at his best and a good starter at his worst. After nearly two decades of below-average play at the position, Buffalo fans can sit comfortably knowing Allen will captain this offense for years to come.

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How much have the Bills struggled in the third quarter?

Breaking down the Buffalo Bills’ second-half stats and in the third quarter in 2020.

2020 has been all over the place and, at times, the Buffalo Bills have done the same. But while the year that’s eventually coming to a close in the next couple of weeks has been unpredictable, observers of the Bills know exactly where Buffalo’s football team has struggled. 

In somewhat of a role-reversal, the Bills offense has led the way for the team this season, carrying the Bills to a 7-3 start and first-place standing in the AFC East going into Week 12. Still, obstacles remain.

Both the Bills offense and defense has had their share of struggles in the second half of games, and more specifically, the third quarter. 

Though often the Bills have built a good lead early, at halftime their opponents make adjustments which Buffalo has struggled to counter adjust to. This allows those teams to score their way back into games and threaten victory or, in some cases, win. 

In terms of how much Buffalo has struggled in the third and fourth frames of games, it comes down to simple numbers. 

The Bills are being outscored 76-30 in the third quarter over their first 10 games of this season. Buffalo’s loss to the Cardinals saw the Bills outscored 17-7 in that stanza. But that isn’t just a 2020 problem like most things in life seem to be… For the Bills, it dates back to 2019, too. 

Since the start of last season, the Bills have given up 142 points (6th most) in the third quarter, while that 76 in 2020 leads the NFL. This season in the fourth quarter they’ve scored the most points (93) but they’ve also given up the fourth-most points (91.) It’s a tough formula to maintain, and a volatile one for success.

Head coach Sean McDermott is taking note and appears ready to tackle the third-quarter issue head-on.

“I am aware of it. I think that’s a study for the off week coming up here in the bye week to really dive down and into that and look into it and make sure we’re doing everything we can to make sure that gets better,” McDermott said prior to the bye while addressing the media.

With the 13th-most difficult remaining schedule, making adjustments to improve third-quarter performance will be important to the team’s success.  From an on-field perspective, Allen said last week he knows a response is needed to how opponents are adjusting as well. 

“Late, third quarter, early fourth quarter, we got to be better and find ways to move the ball,” Allen said via video conference. “If I knew I think it’d be better, it’s just game-plan adjustments the defenses are making and we have to find ways to figure it out faster… So I can have a better sense of what to do and how to get into our answers.”

In the NFL a top defense alone no longer offers the guarantees it once did, and the Bills have embraced a modern offense-heavy approach of outscoring opponents early and often, hoping to put the game out of reach. 

But even if that’s the way the Bills want to continue approaching games from the onset, changes have to be made in the second half prior to the postseason. Not only do the Bills still need to string together some more wins just to get there, in the playoffs, tougher opponents will expose this. 

Look no further than the Bills’ last trip to the playoffs in January. After shutting out the Texans in the first half, Buffalo surrendered 22 points in the second half and in overtime to cut their playoff dreams short in a hurry. 

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Bills land at No. 6 in power rankings

Buffalo Bills in Touchdown Wire’s latest summer power rankings poll.

While we haven’t had football in awhile, and we’re not exactly sure when it’s going to happen again, the NFL Wire still produced a new power rankings poll for the NFL.

In that, the Bills are a highly-touted bunch. Buffalo falls in at No. 6 overall in the list.

Here’s how Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar breaks down the Bills:

Right now, the Bills are a better version of the Bears in that they have everything required to compete at the highest level, with the exception of a quarterback they can trust. In his second NFL season, Josh Allen was able to put together some decent moments, but the erratic nature of his overall game really showed up in a wild-card loss to the Texans.

The AFC East is ripe for the picking in ways it hasn’t been in two decades if Allen can make inroads in 2020; if not, it’ll be a seriously missed opportunity.

In NFL Wire’s rankings, the Chiefs lead the way in little surprise as the defending Super Bowl champs. Behind them, respectively, is the Ravens, 49ers, Saints and Bucs. That puts the Bills as the No. 3 ranked team overall in the AFC as well.

The Bills also out-rank any team in the AFC East… by a lot. The Patriots slide in closest at No. 17. The Dolphins and Jets are not sitting very pretty just yet. They’re at No. 25 and 30, respectively.

 

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Bills only slot at No. 13 in Peter King’s power rankings

Buffalo Bills in Peter King’s recently released power ranking poll.

Power rankings don’t exactly mean much, teams across the NFL have to prove it on the field and it seems like each season at least one team goes from worst to first, anyway.

But they’re still a fun offseason and weekly topic, and the latest national ranking list actually was a bit tougher on the Bills than most others. NBC Sports’ Peter King ranked his NFL teams, and the Bills only landed at No. 13 overall.

In plenty of polls, the Bills land in the top-10, even the top-five. But here’s part of how King describes the Bills in his list:

(Bills general manager Brandon Beane) dealt first, fifth and sixth-round picks this year and a fourth next year for Stefon Diggs (three-year average: 76 catches, 1,000 yards, eight TDs) and a seven, which is a heavy price, particularly in a year with such strong receiving stock in the draft. Diggs will be judged on whether he can lift an offense in a slumber. But if any of the receivers available with the 22nd pick that Buffalo deal to the Vikes—Justin Jefferson, Brandon Aiyuk, Tee Higgins, Michael Pittman—turn into stars, Diggs had better be one in Buffalo. He’s a good fit for the strong-armed Josh Allen; Diggs had a league-best eight catches of 40-plus yards last year. Another good Beane add was Utah running back Zack Moss, the 86th pick in April, to team with Devin Singletary for what could be the best run game in the division.

I think Buffalo’s the best team in the division with one proviso: Allen must be better. Last year, of the 27 quarterbacks who started at least 12 games in the NFL, Allen was 27th in passing yards per game, with 193.1. That’s 40 yards worse than Gardner Minshew. So that’s a pretty big proviso. But I’m counting on the weaponry around Allen and what’s going to be a top five D to be the difference. There’s a reason the NFL made the Bills a prime-time team this year, with four night games—three coming in the last five weeks. The league thinks the Bills will be in the pennant race all season, as do I.

In terms of King’s belief that the Bills are the favorite in the AFC East, he proves that he really thinks that. While close to the middle of the pack in the league, the Bills do outrank the Dolphins (19), Patriots (21) and Jets (28).

Overall, the Bills are also only the sixth-best team in the AFC in the poll. The Chiefs (1 – West), Ravens (2 – North), and Titans (7 – South), would be their respective divisional favorites, all ahead of Buffalo’s standing. Interestingly, the Raiders (8) and Steelers (10) are also both ahead of the Bills in terms of the AFC.

Having said all of that, King lines up his description of the Bills solely on Allen. If the Bills offense and Allen closes the gap between them and the team’s already stout defense, one can easily envision King shooting Buffalo up his chart.

 

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