RANK 14: BILLS. That was a heck of an effort on Monday night. Problem is, the Bills need actual victories, not moral ones.
RANK 17: BILLS. Monday night marked Tyrod Taylor's 23rd career start for the Bills, and it should be clear by now that it wasn't just a random strong game. He is a legitimately good NFL starting quarterback. The trick for Buffalo now is getting more performances that look like that one and eliminating the ho-hum outings, like the one he had against New England in Week 8.
[
NFL.com – NFL Power Rankings](http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000735961/article/nfl-power-rankings-week-10-redhot-raiders-hit-the-top-five)
RANK 18: BILLS. "You're too good a player to act like an ass." That's what Rex Ryan recalled saying to Richard Sherman after the cornerback gave the coach a staredown following a third-quarter pick. I imagine there was a handful of "colorful" words Ryan left out that would require a few symbols from me. Here's the bottom line from Buffalo's loss (and the explanation for the plummet down these rankings): This ballclub needs a bye week like no other team in football. Fortunately, the Bills are getting one right now! Losing Eric Wood is huge. And imagine what Tyrod Taylor could do with a healthy Sammy Watkins running around out there. Back to Sherman: Interesting that he mean-mugged Ryan after an admittedly clutch pick. Maybe Sherman was metaphorically saying, "You see, Rex, I can get a pick off of your quarterback, just like I can pick off your kicker."
RANK 18: BILLS. Rex Ryan has good reason to be upset after Monday night officiating debacle in Seattle but can't let that affect his team.
RANK 20: BILLS.
Current record: 4-5
Last week: 14 (-6)
It's easy for the NFL to admit fault and issue corrections on a Tuesday.
How about doing it right after kicker Dan Carpenter got leveled by Richard Sherman—with no personal foul call to show for it? An end-of-half field goal would've changed the complexion of Monday Night Football. That no-call, coupled with Walt Anderson's failure to reset the play clock, cost Buffalo at least a shot at overtime.
Rex Ryan has a right to be furious, especially after the effort his now-sub-.500 team put forth on the road. Tyrod Taylor had one of the best passing games of his career. LeSean McCoy did an amazing job to eek out extra yardage. The defense didn't lock down Jimmy Graham on two great throws, but it still did enough to win.
Looking forward: It'll be a long flight home for Rex and Co. and an even longer bye week. These are the kind of losses that sink a season.
RANK 21: BILLS. Yes, the Bills were the victims of botched refereeing at the end of the first half. And yes, Tyrod Taylor played arguably the best game of his career against an elite defense. But they still lost their third straight game Monday against the Seahawks. There just aren't enough playmakers on offense to spread the ball around and keep a defense on its toes.
Rank 21: BILLS. 2016 record: 4-5 | Week 9 ranking: 18
34: The Bills are not built to win high-scoring games, and they fell short once again Monday against the Seahawks. It was the Bills' 34th consecutive loss when allowing at least 24 points in a game.
26.3: The Bills are averaging 26.3 points per game this season, and if they keep hitting that average, they could get wins against the Bengals and Jags the next two weeks.
RANK 22: BILLS. The latest team to be victimized by poor officiating in Seattle, they'll now have two weeks to stew over three-game losing streak.
RANK 24: BILLS. They fought in Seattle, but the reality is they've lost three consecutive games. Their season is going downhill fast.
RANK 25: BILLS. The Bills deserved better Monday. If they hadn't been denied a field goal at the end of the first half, they might have been trailing by only three points at the end of the game and could have attempted a tying FG there. It was a terrible night for the officials.
