2. Buffalo Bills (5-2)
Last Week: 4
Week 8 Result: Won vs. Miami 26-11
The last time the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins met, the Bills destroyed the Dolphins 35-0 in Miami.
Things didn't come as easily for Buffalo this time around—the Bills led by just six points midway through the fourth quarter. But thanks to a late takeaway and nine unanswered points to end the game, the Bills notched a 15-point win that kept the team solidly in first place in the AFC East.
After the win, head coach Sean McDermott told reporters he was pleased with the resolve his team showed in a game where the scoring didn't come quite as easily as it usually does.
"Really, that's the biggest takeaway from this game is you're not always going to come out and score, score, score," McDermott said. "So this game, like most games in the NFL, it comes down to the fourth quarter, and I thought that was good for us as a team. Now we've got to build on it."
"Buffalo didn't play their best game of the season in Week 8," Davenport said. "But on a day when the offense had some struggles, the defense stepped up and carried the Bills to another win. That balance (and a Bills defense that doesn't get the credit it should) is what makes Buffalo the team to beat in the AFC in 2021."
3. Buffalo Bills
They didn't look great against the Dolphins, but found a way to rally in the second half. The offense looked lethargic at times, which can't happen against good teams.
3. Buffalo Bills (5–2)
Last week: Win vs. Miami, 26–11
Next week: at Jacksonville
If you made me bet on one team to reach the Super Bowl, I'd pick the Bills. I think they're clearly the AFC's best team right now, whereas the NFC is just about impossible to sort. Now that the Cardinals have lost, and Kyler Murray is banged up, prepare for the Josh Allen MVP talk to explode.
4. Buffalo Bills (5-2, LW: 6)
So who has the easiest remaining schedule in the NFL? If you are a believer in Football Outsiders' DVOA, before Week 8 it was the Bills by a significant margin. Buffalo seems like a team that should be able to handle business against the teams on its schedule it should beat.
4. Buffalo Bills (5-2)
Previous rank: No. 3
They had to get through a bye week to do it, but the Bills finally got to put Week 6's painful prime-time loss to the Titans in the rearview, courtesy of a workmanlike 26-11 win over the Dolphins in Orchard Park. Buffalo's defense returned to action in fine form, holding Miami to just 262 total yards. The offense took more time but eventually found its footing: The Bills scored 23 points on their final four possessions, turning a 3-3 nail-biter into the latest comfortable win over a division rival they've owned in recent years. The schedule stays soft with a Week 9 tilt against the 1-7 Jaguars.
6. Buffalo Bills (5-2)
Previous ranking: 5
Biggest Achilles' heel: Special-teams inconsistency
Buffalo doesn't punt often (third fewest in the NFL with 21). But when Matt Haack has been needed, he has been inconsistent, averaging a net of 36.1 yards (second lowest of any team). Only 28.6% of his punts have been taken over inside the 20-yard line. Kicker Tyler Bass has been solid for the Bills this season, and defensive back Siran Neal has been dynamic in kick coverage, but returner Isaiah McKenzie muffed a punt vs. the Dolphins in Week 8 and was bailed out by Jake Kumerow. The inconsistencies on special teams have put the Bills in some dangerous situations.
6. Bills (7)
QB Josh Allen has 26 TD runs, 57 TD passes and zero interception in the red zone during his four-year career. Think he might add to those figures in Jacksonville on Sunday?
7. Buffalo Bills 5-2 (7)
The Bills had a second walkover against the Dolphins, even though the game was a bit of a grind until the second half. The defense continues to dominate all-around despite a few lapses, making the offense feel comfortable on an off day for some of its key elements.
