Bills NFL Power Rankings Week 5: Ugly Stretch Sends Buffalo Sliding

Entering Week 4, the Buffalo Bills were undefeated and were sitting atop many NFL power rankings. Now entering Week 5, that’s no longer the case.

Buffalo is coming off its first loss of the season, falling 29-26 at home against the New England Patriots. While their sloppy win the week before over the Los Angeles Chargers gave them a gritty win, their ugly loss to the Patriots was far more concerning.

They’re now on the heels of back-to-back poor performances, which has them falling down just about every NFL power ranking. That said, let’s take a look at some of the major outlets to see where the Bills land.

Conor Orr, Sports Illustrated

Bills defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard visits with players during day two of Buffalo Bills training camp at St. John Fisher University. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Ranking: 4 | Last week: 1

“Jim Leonhard with the coordinator quote of the week. It’s hard to communicate at home because of the crowd noise. But, ‘if we complain about that, we are assholes’.”

Dee Alford attempted to say the noise inside Highmark Stadium made it difficult for the defense to communicate, which led to an elite quote from Jim Leonhard. He didn’t call Alford out directly, but he made it clear that he doesn’t believe noise should ever be an excuse, especially since most teams see this as an advantage that impacts the offense.

Nate Davis, USA TODAY

Buffalo Bills WR Keon Coleman celebrates after making a catch during the third quarter against the New England Patriots. — Buffalo Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman celebrates after making a catch during the third quarter against the New England Patriots. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Ranking: 8 | Last week: 1

“They're still scoring at the highest clip in the league. But the early season success is now contextualized by beating two winless teams, including a Week 3 struggle against the Chargers, prior to Sunday's wake-up loss to the Patriots − winners of two in a row at Buffalo. Now it's up to the Bills to stabilize away from Western New York, given they'll only play at home once over the next six weeks.”

Davis brings up an excellent point. The Bills had three home games in a row, but will now go on a two-game road trip before their bye week. They will have just one game at home in Week 8 before going back on the road for two games. That’s a lot of travel for a team struggling to find consistency.

ESPN

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen comes under pressure from New England Patriots cornerback Kindle Vildor. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Ranking: 4 | Last week: 1

“The Bills opened the season with 77 points and 855 yards in two weeks. Quarterback Josh Allen looked unstoppable against Houston and Detroit, two teams with Super Bowl aspirations. Now the Texans and Lions are a combined 2-6, and the Bills are coming back down to earth. Coach Joe Brady's offense has been held to 25 points per game over the past two weeks and turned the ball over seven times,” Nick Suss wrote.

Suss still believes the Bills can contend in the AFC, which is absolutely true. The season is a marathon, not a sprint, so there’s time to turn things around. That said, losing to a division rival is never a good thing.

Pete Prisco, CBS Sports

Bills head coach Joe Brady looks on during the fourth quarter during their game Sunday. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Ranking: 6 | Last week: 1

“Losing to the Patriots at home is not a good look for this team. They could have taken a real hold on the division, but let it get away as they face a tough one this week with the Rams.”

Facing the Rams coming off a loss might not be the worst thing since it could prevent the Bills from entering the game with too much confidence. That said, they could have truly buried the Patriots with a win, but fell short. That’s why they’re sliding down so many power rankings.

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