Power rankings: Where the Bills rank heading into Week 9
The Buffalo Bills (6-2) head into Week 9 of the NFL’s 2024 regular season fresh off a 31-10 road win over the Seattle Seahawks.
Coming into the year, many were all over the place when ranking how the Bills stacked up against the rest of the league. But, through eight weeks it appears the Bills have put the NFL world on notice.
Here’s how the Bills fare in national media power rankings polls heading into Week 9:
USA Today
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Pretty much feels like you could already give them the “x” for clinching the AFC East (for what would be the fifth straight season). Buffalo is the only team in the league up four in the win column over the rest of its division and next hosts its closer pursuer, the Dolphins, whom the Bills have beaten in 12 of their last 13 visits to Western New York.
Pro Football Talk
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They might have the division clinched before it’s time to slaughter the turkey.
Bleacher Report
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Buffalo’s offense is rolling. In five of the Bills’ six wins, they have scored at least 31 points. But the continuing maturation of what they’re doing now is becoming apparent. Along with the addition of Amari Cooper’, Keon Coleman’s maturation has given Buffalo legitimate options on the outside. Coleman has 195 receiving yards over the last two games, with at least seven targets in both contests. He’s becoming the big, physical option whom the Bills envisioned when they drafted him at the top of April’s second round.
NFL.com
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The Bills still live dangerously at times, as they made some first-half gaffes that might’ve sunk another team playing in the din of Seattle’s Lumen Field, but the Bills are not any other team. They’re this high on the list — even with their warts — for their ability to overcome penalties and turnovers. And if you miss out on your chances against them — like Seattle did late in the second quarter, not falling on a Josh Allen fumble deep in Buffalo territory — they’ll cut you. Allen drove the Bills down the field for a touchdown after that fumble — and continued firing until the game was out of reach. The Bills’ run defense was tremendous, and their offense keeps sprouting new branches with the addition of Amari Cooper and the emergence of rookies Keon Coleman and Ray Davis. This was the Bills’ fourth win by 21 or more points this season and their third straight victory since the back-to-back losses. Buffalo’s firmly back in the Circle of Trust.
The Athletic
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Something Scary: The turnover marginRight now, it’s great. The Bills lead the league at plus-11. Quarterback Josh Allen, somewhat famous throughout his career for giving the ball away, has thrown only one interception, making him the only quarterback in the league who has more than 200 passing attempts with so few. Buffalo, and particularly Allen, get credit for making these numbers so good, but there’s a lot of evidence that luck plays a role in turnovers. If the Bills’ luck here changes, it could make a difference against the Chiefs and 49ers of the world.
The 33rd Team
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The most impressive win of the weekend by any team was the Buffalo Bills going to Seattle and beating the Seahawks easily. Buffalo’s defense did a fantastic job keeping Kenneth Walker in check, and it did not allow Geno Smith to beat them through the air.And with the Dolphins and Jets both losing in Week 8, the Bills now have a three-game lead in the division heading into Week 9. They are a near-lock to take the AFC East again and host another home playoff game.
ESPN
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Best offseason addition: Wide receiver Keon ColemanIn Week 7, Coleman had his first 100-yard receiving game. He followed that up with five catches for 70 yards and a touchdown — including an impressive one-handed grab to score — against the Seahawks. After Sunday’s win, coach Sean McDermott noted how the addition of established veteran Amari Cooper to the wide receiver room will help Coleman and the rest of the receivers. — Alaina Getzenberg
Read all the best Bills coverage at the Democrat and Chronicle and Bills Wire.
