Bills Training Camp Power Rankings: Buffalo Overrated?
Despite some ripples in their offseason, not much has changed in regards to the Buffalo Bills and their championship expectations entering this season. It remains a Super Bowl-or-bust approach for a franchise still seeking its first title.
Though there's some understandable doubt that this will come to fruition, it's a no-brainer to label the Bills as a true contender, regardless of what will happen in the postseason.
But despite still having tons to prove, some outlets have more confidence in the Bills' potential successes than others.
USA Today's Touchdown Wire revealed its power rankings ahead of the start of training camp and included the Bills with the best of the best. The defending champion Kansas City Chiefs unsurprisingly came out on top at No. 1 followed by the runners-up Philadelphia Eagles at No. 2.
But after that, the rankings become up for debate.
The Bills slotted in at No. 3, followed by the Cincinnati Bengals and San Francisco 49ers at No. 4 and No. 5, respectively.
Here's the rest of the top 10:
No. 7 - Dallas Cowboys
No. 8 - Los Angeles Chargers
No. 9 - Miami Dolphins
No. 10 - Jacksonville Jaguars
One could argue that the Bills' ranking is a tad too high, especially considering the success of the teams ranked below them.
The Bengals ended Buffalo's season in dominant fashion this past January before bowing out to the Chiefs in the AFC title game. Additionally, the 49ers are fresh off an NFC Championship appearance as well. They could've given the Eagles a stronger fight if the injury gods didn't hit 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy at the absolute worst time.
Both the Bengals and 49ers are arguably better than the Bills headed into the season. A top-five ranking sounds like reasonable territory for an AFC contender like Buffalo, but rising up into the top three might be premature for a team with a lot to prove in the playoffs.
Here's what USA Today had to say about why the Bills were ranked No. 3:
Is this the year that this Josh Allen-led Bills franchise finally breaks through the ceiling and finds themselves in the title game? With one of the best defenses in the NFL, an elite weapon in Allen, and plenty of targets for him to throw to, it’s hard to envision a ton of teams keeping up with their intense style of play. It’s just a matter of beating the other two elite teams in the AFC, which to this point they have floundered at doing.
You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7
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