NFL Power Rankings: Buffalo Bills Take Slight Dip After London Loss
The Buffalo Bills' 25-20 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in London was disastrous in more ways than one.
Not only did Buffalo (3-2) likely lose linebacker Matt Milano and defensive tackle DaQuan Jones to season-ending injuries, but they fell behind by a game in the AFC East to the Miami Dolphins (4-1). The Bills could also find themselves on the wrong side of a tiebreaker with Jacksonville if they have the same record at the end of the season.
After the loss to Jacksonville (3-2), Buffalo dropped to No. 7 in Sports Illustrated's Power Rankings. The Bills were No. 4 after their Week 4 thrashing of the Miami Dolphins. Now, Miami is one spot ahead of them at No. 6.
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) running along the sideline and avoiding a tackle from Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Josh Allen (41).
© Kirby Lee, USA TODAY
"The Bills could lose by 40 but still satiate my desire for attractive football by uncorking more Josh Allen toes-on-the-goal-line deep shots to Stefon Diggs," SI writes. "Seriously, how beautiful are those? Allen is like a way more athletic Ben Roethlisberger, who can single handedly drag a team on his back like the one good guy in a pickup gym run. The problem is that this offense gains and loses its status as an unstoppable force via their ability to run the football. Too often, they lose patience."
The correlation between the Bills' success when they run the ball compared to when they're extremely pass-heavy is a clear one. They had 40 passing attempts and only ran the ball 14 times against the Jaguars. The Bills also struggled to have balance in their only other loss this season, which came against the New York Jets on Sept. 11. Buffalo had 41 passing attempts compared to just 22 rushing attempts.
During Buffalo's three game winning streak against Miami, the Washington Commanders and Las Vegas Raiders, they averaged 31.33 passing attempts and 32.33 rushing attempts a game.
While Jacksonville having a top-five rushing defense played a role in deterring the Bills from running the ball, passing on 74 percent of the offensive plays isn't a recipe for success. Buffalo only ran for 29 yards, but its lack of patience with the running game made them one-dimensional and hurt the team in time of possession.
No player had more than five carries against the Jaguars
Jacksonville had the ball for 38 minutes and 12 seconds, as opposed to the Bills only possessing the ball for 21 minutes and 48 seconds. The Jaguars also ran 82 plays compared to just 54 for the Bills.
With Milano and Jones likely done for the year, there's going to be even more pressure on Allen and the offense. If they can't maintain their balance between the running and passing game, Buffalo's ability to play complementary football will likely falter and could lead to more struggles against some of the NFL's best.
