The Buffalo Bills entered Week 5 feeling the pressure. They were coming off a disappointing loss to the New England Patriots and were in danger of losing their AFC East lead.
Their opponent wasn’t going to make it easy on them either as the Bills were in Southern California to take on the Los Angeles Rams. As expected, it was a back-and-forth contest with plenty of fireworks.
Buffalo managed to make just enough plays as Greg Rousseau blocked a field goal in overtime, allowing the Bills to march down the field for a winning kick of their own.
As the dust settles on a wild Week 5, let’s see how the Bills stack up against every other team in our Week 6 NFL Power Rankings roundup.
Sports Illustrated
Ranking: 4 | Last week: 4
Connor Orr kept the Bills at No. 4 and has a hard time forgetting the fumble issues that have plagued James Cook.
”We forgive James Cook but we don’t forget. I thought it was incredibly awesome of Joe Brady to give Cook the ball one more time after his second fumble to let him know he had his back. But those ball security issues will rear their head as the games matter more each week,” Orr wrote.
ESPN
Ranking: 3 | Last week: 5
ESPN moved the Bills to the third spot after spending last week at No. 5. There are still some concerns according to Nick Suss, who believes their pass defense needs help.
”The Bills haven't had much issue pushing offenses backward on first down. But opponents have had far too much success extending drives in second-and-long and third-and-long situations. Plenty of this has to do with the Bills' dwindling cornerback depth, but that's hardly an excuse for how C.J. Stroud, Jared Goff, Drake Maye and Matthew Stafford completed 74.6% of their passes for 558 yards and five touchdowns (posting a 80.8 QBR) on second downs against the Bills,” Suss wrote.
Recently, Sean McDermott discussed their issues against the pass and expressed confidence that his former team will get things figured out as they become more comfortable under Jim Leonhard.
The Athletic
Ranking: 3 | Last week: 4
Chad Graff and Josh Kendall work together on The Athletic’s weekly power rankings and they had the Bills moving up one spot following their huge win. They were impressed that Buffalo bounced back following a frustrating loss to the Patriots in Week 4.
”Buffalo rebounded well from a home loss in Week 4, kicking off a weeklong stay out West by somehow outlasting the Rams in a wild back-and-forth game on Monday night.”
They added that there was still plenty to clean up, mentioning penalties and James Cook’s fumble, but Buffalo is still one of the best in the business.
Bleacher Report
Ranking: 4 | Last week: 4
Like SI earlier, the Bleacher Report kept Buffalo at No. 4 despite the win. Brent Sobleski said he knew this week would be a heavyweight bout while noting that the outcome didn’t center around Josh Allen.
”The Buffalo Bills' Josh Allen and Los Angeles Rams' Matthew Stafford landed multiple haymakers. Ultimately, the former left the contest with a victory, though the outcome didn't center on Allen,” Sobleski wrote.
“Instead, James Cook coughed up the ball in overtime and allowed the Rams to take possession and attempt a game-winning field goal--which Greg Rousseau blocked.”
USA Today
Ranking: 7 | Last week: 8
Nate Davis is still not buying the hype. At least not completely.
While No. 7 isn’t a bad ranking overall, he seems to be punishing them for previous failures in the postseason.
“QB Josh Allen has proven he can win in overtime. Does that mean he can win in overtime in January? Maybe even February? Monday night's rousing defeat of the Rams feels like one that could count for a lot more than just a mere Week 5 victory,” Davis wrote.
Fair or not, that’s a perception Joe Brady will have to battle all year as the head coach of the Bills.
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