The Buffalo Bills entered Week 4 as the consensus No. 1 team in the NFL. One ugly loss to the New England Patriots later, and the national perception of Buffalo has taken a hit.
The Bills fell to 3-1 after a frustrating 29-26 loss to their AFC East rivals, a game that exposed many of the same issues that nearly cost them the previous week against the Los Angeles Chargers. Turnovers, inconsistent offensive execution, and defensive struggles have become increasingly difficult to ignore.
Now Buffalo heads west for a Monday Night Football matchup against a Los Angeles Rams team coming off an impressive comeback victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.
And the national power rankings reflect two teams heading in opposite directions.
Buffalo dropped from No. 1 to No. 5 in the consensus rankings, with an average position of 5.38 across eight major national outlets.
The Athletic, ESPN, and Pro Football Talk remain relatively optimistic, placing the Bills fourth. NFL.com has Buffalo seventh, while USA Today dropped the team to eighth.
It’s a significant fall for a team that was sitting atop the rankings just a week ago.
But perhaps the more concerning development isn’t the loss itself. It’s how Buffalo has played over the last two weeks. Against the Chargers, the Bills survived five turnovers and an otherwise sloppy performance.
Against New England, they weren’t nearly as fortunate.
Josh Allen struggled, the left side of the offensive line had problems in protection, and the passing game lacked consistency outside of Keon Coleman. Meanwhile, a defense that has repeatedly surrendered too many points once again left little margin for error.
Buffalo remains firmly in the national conversation among the NFL’s best teams, but the benefit of the doubt that comes with an undefeated record is gone.
While Buffalo was stumbling against New England, Los Angeles was putting together the kind of comeback that can change the perception of a team. The Rams rallied from a late deficit to defeat the Philadelphia Eagles 24-20, improving to 2-2 and moving from a tie for eighth to sixth in the consensus rankings.
Their average ranking improved to 7.63, placing them just 2.25 positions behind Buffalo.
The Athletic and USA Today both rank Los Angeles fifth, ahead of several teams with better records. ESPN, FOX Sports, and Pro Football Talk have the Rams seventh. NFL.com remains the biggest skeptic, placing Los Angeles 13th.
That disagreement is worth noting. Despite their record, the Rams are receiving considerable respect from several national outlets, particularly after demonstrating they can overcome adversity against a quality opponent.
Bills vs. Rams: Two teams with something to prove.
The rankings tell an interesting story heading into Week 5. Buffalo is 3-1 but trending downward. Los Angeles is 2-2 but gaining ground. All eight outlets still rank the Bills ahead of the Rams, but the gap has narrowed considerably.
For Buffalo, the challenge is about more than avoiding a second consecutive loss. The Bills need to demonstrate that the turnovers, protection issues, and defensive inconsistencies of the last two weeks aren’t becoming their identity.
The Rams, meanwhile, have an opportunity to build on their comeback against Philadelphia and make another statement against one of the AFC’s top contenders.
A win in Los Angeles would help Buffalo restore some of the confidence lost over the past two weeks. Another sloppy performance, particularly in a loss, could send the Bills tumbling even further.
I hate to do it but last week, New England was the biggest outlier in our power rankings comparison, with an astonishing 16-position difference between its highest and lowest rankings.
After beating Buffalo, the Patriots jumped six spots to No. 12 in the consensus rankings, while their ranking spread narrowed to 11 positions. USA Today now has New England seventh, a spot ahead of Buffalo, but NFL.com still ranks the Patriots 18th. I respectfully think USA Today’s ranking is ridiculous.
Power rankings don’t determine what happens on the field, and Buffalo’s 3-1 record still puts the Bills in a favorable position entering Week 5. But the rankings do reflect how quickly perceptions can change in the NFL.
Just one week ago, Buffalo was the consensus best team in football. Now the Bills are heading into a nationally televised matchup with what feels like a lot to prove.
The Bills have spent the last two weeks showing what poor performances look like. Monday night would be a good time to remind everyone what this team looks like when it actually plays well.
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* [Buffalo Bills Power Rankings](/buffalo-bills-power-rankings)