Media Mashup: Buffalo Bills Week 10 Power Rankings

Things have gone from bad to worse. Don’t hit the panic button on the season, but the Buffalo Bills have some real problems that must be addressed if they intend to compete for a Super Bowl in February. A comedy of errors turned a 17-point lead into a heartbreaking loss. How did so many things go wrong all at once? We may never know. What did the media have to say about this team, and its collapse, in their Week 10 Power Rankings?

NFL.com: 5th

Author: Dan Hanzus

Last Week: 2nd

“Another stomach-punch loss, this one made worse because of how avoidable it felt. The Bills blew a three-score lead in the second half by making the type of head-scratching, self-inflicted errors that have suddenly become commonplace. Josh Allen is the rightful focus of scrutiny after three more turnovers, which included the shocking goal-line fumble that produced Minnesota’s go-ahead touchdown in the final minute in regulation, followed by the end-zone interception in overtime that sent the fans in Orchard Park home in a daze.”

“Losing sucks. It sucks this way even more. Horrendous second half… It comes down to my shoulders and my shoulders only. Making the right decisions, making the right throws. This one’s going to suck, watching it.”

Josh Allen on the loss

theScore: 5th

Author: theScore Staff

Last Week: 3rd

“Despite some stumbles, the Bills still have one of football’s most complete rosters.”

Bleacher Report: 5th

Authors: NFL Staff

Last Week: 4th

“Not that long ago, the Buffalo Bills looked unstoppable. In Week 6, they rolled into Kansas City and beat Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. Buffalo was the best team in the AFC. Maybe the entire NFL. Josh Allen was playing like an MVP candidate. However, the last two weeks have been a different story.

Over the past two games, Allen has thrown four interceptions in the red zone—including a game-ending one in overtime Sunday against the Vikings. Buffalo has now dropped two straight and fallen out of first place in the AFC East. While talking to reporters after the loss, Allen put the responsibility for the defeat squarely on his own shoulders.

It’s hardly panic time in Buffalo. The Bills were in each of those two losses late but just couldn’t seal the deal. An upcoming home date with the floundering Cleveland Browns and a trip to Detroit should afford them a chance to get right for the stretch run. But Buffalo’s margin for error is shrinking by the week. It’s also fair to wonder how much Allen’s elbow is bothering him.”

“The Bills must talk to Allen about his decisions in critical moments of games… Over the past three weeks, he’s thrown six interceptions, including four in the red zone. In Week 10, Allen threw a couple of red-zone interceptions that allowed the Vikings to close the gap on a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit and seal the win in overtime. Of course, Allen’s aggressive nature has worked out in Buffalo’s favor in the past, but he must be more careful with the ball against playoff contenders. Over the last two weeks, the Bills signal-caller has thrown for one touchdown and four interceptions, and Buffalo lost both games (to the New York Jets and Vikings).”

Moe Moton (Bleacher Report) on Josh Allen’s recent struggles

The Ringer: 3rd

Author: Austin Gayle

Last Week: 2nd

“Don’t overreact to the Bills losing two consecutive games. Falling behind the Chiefs in the race for the no. 1 seed in the AFC and a first-round bye in the playoffs is a concern, but I’m confident that the Bills are still one of the league’s top three teams. The Ringer’s Steven Ruiz ran through the questions the Bills will need to answer down the stretch to legitimize their Super Bowl run, but there’s no real reason to doubt that the Bills will be playing in the AFC championship game in late January.”

ESPN: 5th

Author: ESPN Staff

Last Week: 3rd

“After recent events, there is a case to be made that Dorsey’s seat is hot, but that seems a bit strong. The Bills lead the league in yards per play (6.5) and third-down conversion percentage (52.4%), but they haven’t scored a second-half touchdown in three games (the last one was in the Week 6 win over Kansas City). Recent performances by Josh Allen have played a significant role in the shortcomings (two interceptions in three consecutive games for the first time in his career), but the offensive struggles certainly also fall on Dorsey, who has work to do to get things back on track.” — Alaina Getzenberg

The Athletic: 5th

Author: Bo Wulf

Last Week: 2nd

“How worried to be about the Bills after their loss in the wildest game of the season so far? Josh Allen leads the league with 13 turnovers, four of them in the red zone (which also leads the league). That’s sort of the whole story, even if so many Bills will be kicking themselves after a game in which one more play would have won it so many times.

The NFL season is a slog, and the Bills aren’t the first team to hit a midseason funk after looking like the best squad in the league early on. There’s plenty of reason to believe they can get to that level again. They still rank No. 1 in overall DVOA, split between the No. 5 offense and No. 1 defense.

The real problem now is the path ahead. Buffalo sits in third place in the AFC East, one game behind the Dolphins and anchored by an 0-2 record in the division that could come back to bite them tiebreaker-wise. Two weeks ago, it looked like the Bills would be the AFC team tasked with winning two home playoff games to make the Super Bowl. If they have to instead win three road games, well, that’s not ideal.”

NBC Sports: 4th

Author: Josh Schrock

Last Week: 3rd

“Josh Allen’s miscues are starting to cost the Bills.”

CBS Sports: 5th

Author: Pete Prisco

Last Week: 4th

“They’ve lost two straight games and now have fallen into the third spot in their division. Josh Allen has to quit throwing picks.”

Fox Sports: 5th

Author: David Helman

Last Week: 3rd

“It’s not time to panic, but it’s fair to be concerned about Josh Allen’s recent form. The guy who looked like he was in cruise control has all of a sudden thrown six picks in three games — not a recipe for success. Buffalo getting healthier on defense will help, but the Bills need their team MVP to play like an NFL MVP.”

Yahoo Sports: 6th

Author: Frank Schwab

Last Week: 2nd

“The strange part of Sunday’s loss was the way the defense let down. Buffalo hadn’t given up more than 21 points or 398 yards in a game all season. Against Minnesota, the Bills gave up 481 yards and 33 points and blew a 17-point lead. That’s probably a fluke but it’s troubling.”

USA Today: 3rd

Author: Nate Davis

Last Week: 2nd

“It’s not every week that you’ll get torched by a receiver of Jefferson’s caliber. But Buffalo’s secondary has to be a concern given the uncertainty that remains around injured CB Tre’Davious White and the ongoing injury issues at a safety position that had been the unit’s strength.”

Sporting News: 5th

Author: Vinnie Iyer

Last Week: 2nd

”Josh Allen had a third consecutive shaky game while playing through his elbow injury, but the bigger concern is a defense that’s starting to break more against run and pass. The situational football has been sloppy, too, as the Bills continue to lose close games more often than not.”

WalterFootball.com: 1st

Author: Walter Cherepinsky

Last Week: 1st

“Considering that Josh Allen wasn’t supposed to play against the Vikings, and that the Bills would have won had they just not fumbled a quarterback sneak, I’m not moving them off the top spot. They’re still the best team in the NFL, and it won’t be long until Allen is healthy again.”

Sportsnaut: 7th

Author: Matt Johnson

Last Week: 2nd

“Josh Allen is the problem right now. The All-Pro quarterback feels eerily similar to Brett Favre, balancing unbelievable plays with dumbfounding carelessness with the football. Responsible for six interceptions in the last three weeks, including four in the red zone, Allen must adjust the way he plays or Buffalo is destined for playoff heartbreak once again.”

Athlon Sports: 5th

Author: Bryan Fischer

Last Week: 2nd

“One snap away. All the Bills had to do was get a single snap off. Instead, we’re left with plenty of questions about blowing a big lead and Josh Allen’s penchant for turning the ball over in the red zone. Imagine being Stefon Diggs and seeing an incredible one-handed catch lost to the history books.”

Power Rankings Summary

This one hurts, not just because we lost but because of how we lost. The collapse was out own fault. Certainly, the Minnesota Vikings made great plays, but a vast majority of their late-game success was due to sloppy play and mistakes that a team of this calibre simply cannot make. Onto next week.

Sample Size	First	Second	Third	Fourth	Fifth	Sixth	Seventh	Average
15	1	0	2	1	9	1	1	Fifth

For last week’s power rankings, click here, and come back next week for a fresh round of Power Rankings as the reeling Buffalo Bills try to right the ship against the Cleveland Browns. Have a “Power Rankings” that you think I should include? Reach out to @IestynTHarris on Twitter to let me know!

Featured Image: Joshua Bessex/Associated Press