Media Mashup: Buffalo Bills Week 7 Power Rankings

You know the Buffalo Bills are the best team in the NFL. I know the Buffalo Bills are the best team in the NFL. But does the rest of the league? We took a week off from the usual domination, and everything fell apart. The AFC is terrifying, the NFC is in shambles, and the New England Patriots were served fresh embarrassment on a national stage. How do we shape up after a weird week of bye week action? Let’s take a look at the media’s Week 7 Power Rankings to find out…

NFL.com: 1st

Author: Dan Hanzus

Last Week: 1st

“Josh Allen comes out of the Week 7 bye as a strong contender — and perhaps the early favorite — in the NFL MVP race. Allen was once again locked in during Week 6’s massive conference showdown with the Chiefs at Arrowhead, throwing for 329 yards and three touchdowns in a 24-20 win. He was the only QB to have three games with 300 yards and at least three passing scores in the season’s first six weeks. As has been the case for most of the season, Allen was largely unstoppable when attacking defenses downfield: According to Next Gen Stats, Allen went 9-for-10 with 204 yards, three scores and a perfect passer rating of 158.3 on throws of at least 15 air yards against Kansas City. Dominance against elite competition is the stuff of MVPs.”

theScore: 2nd

Author: theScore Staff

Last Week: 2nd

“Scariest trend: The Bills sit alone atop the division, but every other team in the AFC East is also above .500 outside of the Patriots. That kind of competition significantly increases the risk of one or two losses down the stretch that could swing the race for home-field advantage.”

Bleacher Report: 2nd

Authors: NFL Staff

Last Week: 2nd

“The Buffalo Bills entered their bye week on the highest of notes. Last week, they staked their claim as the AFC’s best team by downing the Kansas City Chiefs on the road. There are plenty of reasons for the Bills’ success this season. They entered Week 7 ranked first in total offense, second in scoring offense, second in total defense and first in scoring defense. But as head coach Sean McDermott told reporters, there’s no question that this is quarterback Josh Allen’s team.

“He’s the face of the franchise, the face of the organization. He’s just grown leaps and bounds through his career, to this point. It’s been fun to watch, having a front-row seat to watch his development and growth.”

Sean McDermott on Josh Allen’s development (Via Mark Gaughan/Buffalo News)

The Bills have no clear weaknesses. Their skill-position talent, led by wide receiver Stefon Diggs, is solid. Their offensive line may not be great, but it’s capable. Their defense is as loaded with talent as any in the league. The Bills aren’t going to be easy to beat in the playoffs. And if they hang on to the No. 1 seed in the AFC — and the home-field advantage that comes with it — it’ll only be that much harder.”

The Ringer: 1st

Author: Austin Gayle

Last Week: 1st

“Much has been made of Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs dominating the 49ers in Week 7 and laying claim to the top offense in the NFL, but none of that changes the Bills’ No. 1 ranking on this list as they return from their bye. Josh Allen is still the favorite to win MVP and Buffalo is still the favorite to win the Super Bowl, and rightfully so on both counts.”

ESPN: 1st

Author: ESPN Staff

Last Week: 1st

“The Bills’ early-season success could be described in many ways, but point margin encapsulates how the team has been winning. The team leads the league with a plus-95 point margin, which is 39 points more than the next closest team — the undefeated Philadelphia Eagles at plus-56. The Bills have found great success despite the sixth-hardest strength of schedule, according to ESPN’s Football Power Index. In games against last year’s playoff teams, the Bills are 4-0 and have won by an average margin of 23.5 points.” — Alaina Getzenberg

The Athletic: 1st

Author: Bo Wulf

Last Week: 1st

“You ever think about how musical the Bills’ defensive line is? You’ve got Carlos Basham, who goes by “Boogie”. There’s Ed Oliver “Twist”. AJ “the girl from” Epenesa and Tim “pani” Settle might be stretches, but that’s why they’re backups. “DaQuan” and “Mister” are both two syllables, so you can force a strained Adam Duritz impression with “DaQuan Jones and me.” And Greg Rousseau? It’s like Jean-Jacques Rousseau wrote once upon a time:

“Let’s go dance under the elms: Step lively, young lassies. Let’s go dance under the elms: Gallants, take up your pipes.”

Anyway, the Bills had the week off and are still the best team in football.”

NBC Sports: 2nd

Author: Josh Schrock

Last Week: 2nd

“Coming off a bye, the Bills have a chance to drive a stake into the heart of the 2022 Packers next Sunday night. Get the funeral precession ready.”

CBS Sports: 2nd

Author: Pete Prisco

Last Week: 2nd

“They come off the bye with a home game against the Packers. That seemed like a big game when the schedule came out, but it’s lost some luster with Green Bay’s slow start.”

Fox Sports: 1st

Author: David Helman

Last Week: 1st

“It’s a weird quirk of the schedule that the league’s best three teams all took the week off. The Bills resume their season in style with a Sunday night game against Green Bay this week.”

Yahoo Sports: 1st

Author: Frank Schwab

Last Week: 1st

“The Bills’ upcoming schedule isn’t easy. The Packers are a big underdog at the Bills in Week 8, but they’re not a pushover. They play at the Jets after that and, whatever you think of the Jets, they are 5-2. Then, they host the 5-1 Vikings before a couple of easier games (Browns, Lions). If they get to 8-1 after those three games that should be challenging but clearly winnable, there isn’t much stopping Buffalo.”

USA Today: 1st

Author: Nate Davis

Last Week: 1st

“QB Josh Allen is on pace for a single-season record 5,610 passing yards but resumes that quest Sunday night against a Green Bay defense that has been the league’s stingiest from that aspect – and hasn’t surrendered even 270 yards through the air in a game this season.”

Sporting News: 2nd

Author: Vinnie Iyer

Last Week: 2nd

“The Bills also got a bye to get healthier for the second half and build on their status as the clear best team in the AFC, coming off a massive win over the Chiefs on the road. The key for Buffalo going forward to finish things off in the playoffs as Super Bowl favorites is locking down the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage.”

WalterFootball.com: 1st

Author: Walter Cherepinsky

Last Week: 1st

No Comment

Sportsnaut: 1st

Author: Matt Johnson

Last Week: 1st

“The Buffalo Bills are the No. 1 team in the NFL power rankings and they must be elated to face Green Bay in Week 8. What seemed like a potential Super Bowl preview before the season now appears to be the best NFL team vs. one of the worst teams in football. Not exactly what NBC signed up for on Sunday Night Football, but at least the Bills’ offense and defense will provide fireworks.”

Athlon Sports: 1st

Author: Bryan Fischer

Last Week: 1st

“Do you think the Bills had a twinge of regret for not trading for Christian McCaffrey after watching him early on Sunday? Maybe not, but they can at least enjoy the rest of their bye before looking ahead at a suddenly even more favorable run of games.”

Power Rankings Summary

With no changes from the last week to this, the Buffalo Bills are still the concensus best team in the NFL right now. Let’s see if things get more interesting after another week of NFL action.

Sample Size	First	Second	Average
15	10	5	First

For last week’s power rankings, click here, and come back next week for a fresh round of power rankings as the Buffalo Bills go head-to-head against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football. Have a “Power Rankings” that you think I should include? Reach out to @IestynTHarris on Twitter to let me know!

Featured Image: John McDonnell/The Washington Post