Media Mashup: Buffalo Bills Week 14 Power Rankings

A bitter day in the freezing wet was capped off with a victory over the New York Jets. A grueling game in difficult conditions was dominated by the Buffalo Bills defense. What does the media have to say about our performance in their Week 14 Power Rankings?

NFL.com: 4th

Author: Dan Hanzus

Last Week: 4th

“With Von Miller out for the year, the Bills will need others to step up and fill the void of their ‘closer.’ Sunday’s 20-12 win over the Jets was extremely encouraging from that perspective. Buffalo’s front seven made life miserable for quarterback Mike White, who was punished for four quarters before leaving Highmark Stadium in an ambulance for precautionary tests. Greg Rousseau, A.J. Epenesa and Shaq Lawson combined for four sacks, and Buffalo forced two critical fumbles to seal another win. The D provided cover for an offense that continues to operate at a pedestrian level: The Bills punted on their first five possessions and were held to a season-low 232 yards. The opponent and weather conditions should be factored in, but there are issues to be resolved.”

theScore: 6th

Author: theScore Staff

Last Week: 5th

“Josh Allen and Buffalo’s offense again struggled against the Jets’ defense, but Sunday’s win was crucial for the Bills. They remain the AFC’s No. 1 seed at the moment.”

Bleacher Report: 2nd

Authors: NFL Staff

Last Week: 2nd

“Every NFL team deals with adversity over the course of a season. The Buffalo Bills have been no exception. They lost some key pieces on defense, including safety Micah Hyde (neck) and edge-rusher Von Miller (ACL). Damar Hamlin was tasked with stepping in for Hyde, and he has played well. After a win on Sunday in which the defense carried the day in bad weather, the 24-year-old Hamlin told reporters that the defense wanted to send a message after Miller was ruled out for the rest of the season earlier in the week.

“We made a statement that Von is one of our brothers and, with or without him, we’re going to try to get the job done. It’s the next-man-up mentality. Our lineup is deep, down to the practice squad. It’s a standard that we all uphold.”

Hamlin on Von Miller’s abscence, per ESPN

The Jets actually outgained the Bills by over 70 yards, but when Buffalo needed to make a play to keep its opponent from scoring, the defense answered the call. The Bills recovered two fumbles and harassed Jets quarterback Mike White all day, sacking him three times and knocking him out of the game temporarily on two separate occasions. Coupled with the Dolphins’ loss to the Chargers in Los Angeles, the win over the Jets put the Bills firmly in control of the AFC East, But with the No. 1 seed in the conference and a first-round playoff bye still on the line, there’s no time for celebrating just yet.”

The Ringer: 3rd

Author: Austin Gayle

Last Week: 2nd

“The Jets (and some bad Buffalo weather) limited Josh Allen to a season-low 147 passing yards on 27 attempts on Sunday, but it didn’t matter. Allen rushed for a team-high 47 yards, including a 16-yard scamper on third-and-15, and ran for a touchdown. There are concerns with the drop-off in efficiency for the Bills offense since Allen injured his throwing elbow in the team’s Week 9 loss to the Jets, but as long as he’s healthy enough to play and contribute in multiple ways, Buffalo has enough to compete for a Super Bowl.”

ESPN: 3rd

Author: ESPN Staff

Last Week: 3rd

“The Bills remain one of the best teams despite some hiccups. Ranking in the top three on offense is a bit misleading given some of the issues the unit has had in the past month, but the Bills are third in scoring, averaging 26.3 points per game. The defense has struggled to get off the field at times, which is reflected in its efficiency, but it has allowed the second-fewest points per game (17). The special teams unit has been the most consistent group for Buffalo this year, with kicker Tyler Bass making a career-high 89.7% of field goals, which is especially significant after punter/holder Sam Martin joined just before the season.” – Alaina Getzenberg

The Athletic: 3rd

Author: Bo Wulf

Last Week: 3rd

Bills Free Agency Target: Rams safety Nick Scott 

“Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde have formed one of the best safety tandems in the league over recent years, but it might be time for Buffalo to turn the clock forward this offseason. Both players will be 32, Poyer’s contract expires at the end of the season and Hyde suffered a season-ending neck injury in Week 2. A seventh-round pick of the Rams in 2019, Scott earned a starting role this year and has been one of the bright spots in an otherwise dour Rams season, Baker Mayfield notwithstanding.”

NBC Sports: 4th

Author: Josh Schrock

Last Week: 3rd

“The Bills relied on their defense to beat the Jets on Sunday, but Josh Allen knows Buffalo’s offense has to get much better for there to be a parade in Orchard Park this February.”

JOSH. ALLEN. 🤯

📺: @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/WkbVLdk7mp

— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) December 11, 2022

CBS Sports: 2nd

Author: Pete Prisco

Last Week: 2nd

“The defense played well without Von Miller, which is a good sign. The Bills can basically lock up the division by beating the Dolphins this week.”

Fox Sports: 6th

Author: David Helman

Last Week: 5th

“It sounds outrageous to say that the AFC’s current No. 1 seed just doesn’t seem to be clicking. Of course, Sunday’s win against the Jets was outdoors, in the elements against a good defense. It’s still wild to see Josh Allen & Co. convert just 2-of-13 third downs. This offense could use a get-right game.”

Yahoo Sports: 2nd

Author: Frank Schwab

Last Week: 4th

“The Bills don’t want to see the Jets in the playoffs. The Bills have 20 first downs in every non-Jets game, and had 19 and 14 against the Jets. Buffalo has gained 326 yards in all games that weren’t against the Jets, and had 317 and 232 against New York. That defense gives the Bills problems. Getting the win on Sunday despite not being able to move the ball was huge.”

USA Today: 5th

Author: Nate Davis

Last Week: 3rd

“Are they still capable of winning the Super Bowl after so many predicted they would do exactly that three months ago? Definitely. With OLB Von Miller now officially gone for the season with a torn ACL and joining S Micah Hyde on injured reserve, might they now be a lesser version of last year’s squad? Very possibly.”

Sporting News: 2nd

Author: Vinnie Iyer

Last Week: 2nd

“The Bills knew they would get a physical defensive-minded fight from the Jets in the rematch in Buffalo, but they were up to the challenge with Josh Allen creating enough offense. They are back on track to be the No. 1 seed in the AFC.”

WalterFootball.com: 2nd

Author: Walter Cherepinsky

Last Week: 1st

“Buffalo was shockingly sluggish against the Jets. In fact, the Bills needed Quinnen Williams to get hurt in order to finally move the chains consistently on a New York defense that looked helpless versus the Vikings. I don’t want to overreact, but this sort of performance makes me want to remove the Bills out of the No. 1 spot.”

Sportsnaut: 2nd

Author: Matt Johnson

Last Week: 3rd

“On a Sunday when neither the weather nor the offense did enough to win, defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier’s unit delivered. This looked like the elite defense we saw earlier in the season before injuries decimated the secondary and front seven. If Buffalo can take Miami out in Week 15, it will definitely prove the Bills are the best team in the AFC.”

Athlon Sports: 2nd

Author: Bryan Fischer

Last Week: 2nd

“Josh Allen came up big when he needed to against that tough Jets defense and you can’t help but think that the divisional path is certainly opening up just ahead of another big opportunity against Miami at home.”

Buffalo Bills Power Rankings Summary

Mixed feelings about the Jets game have us middling in the rankings. Some believe that we should have been better, some believe credit is due for the tough game they played, but the Bills walked away with a win and maintained possession of the AFC crown. That will be good enough for this week.

Sample Size	Second	Third	Fourth	Fifth	Sixth	Average
15	7	3	2	1	2	2nd/3rd

For last week’s power rankings, click here, and come back next week for a fresh round of Power Rankings as the Buffalo Bills look to essentially seal away the AFC East title with a win in Orchard Park over the Miami Dolphins. Have a “Power Ranking” that you think I should include? Reach out to @IestynTHarris on Twitter to let me know!

Featured Image: Adrian Kraus