Bills power rankings: Thanks to big game from Josh Allen, Buffalo moves (mostly) up
Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills need to get thank you cards in the mail for their Las Vegas buds.
Allen put together a vintage Josh Allen performance and the defense stifled reigning NFL rushing champion Josh Jacobs in the 38-10 rout of the Raiders.
With that convincing win, autumn is back to looking bright and cheerful for Bills Mafia, even for that naked fan who fell in the hole near Highmark Stadium.
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Let's take a look at where the Bills are in the latest round of power rankings:
NFL.COM
Ranking: 6 (⬆ two spots)
The win over the Raiders was exactly the kind of performance Bills fans wanted to see after the meltdown in Week 1. Josh Allen made his standard share of freewheeling plays (the TD pass to Khalil Shakir, my goodness) but he didn’t play fast and loosely like he did against the Jets. Allen avoided the facepalm turnovers and mostly took the little gains the Raiders gave him, which allowed those moments of pure improvisational beauty -- later, the third-and-6 connection with Gabe Davis for 40 yards -- to arrive more organically. And even with inconsistent pressure, the defense was more than up to the challenge in holding Las Vegas to 10 points and forcing three turnovers. That is more like what I expected from Buffalo coming into the season.
USA Today
Ranking: 5 (⬆ three spots)
A clean turnover sheet for QB Josh Allen is great. But how encouraging is the offensive balance, RB James Cook setting career highs Sunday with 17 carries and 123 yards?
CBS Sports
Ranking: 7 (⬆ five spots)
So much for the idea that Josh Allen can't play anymore after the Jets debacle. He responded in a big way against the Raiders.
Pro Football Talk
Ranking: 7 (⬆ three spots)
The Jenga tower has currently stabilized.
Sports Illustrated
Ranking: 6 (⬆ six spots)
A classic Josh Allen game laid to rest the idea that only Brian Daboll could oversee his development from here. While it’s true that Daboll did the hard work, Ken Dorsey and Josh Allen have had some good moments. Allen was taking what a hollowed-out Raiders defense was offering, though we did see his vintage swagger during a pre-halftime drive that ended with an absurd, submarine-style throw to Khalil Shakir. All is well in Buffalo, it seems.
Touchdown Wire
Ranking: 5 (⬆ four spots)
Hey, so it turns out Josh Allen is pretty good at football. Don’t worry, we still got a healthy dose of “Josh Allen does some schoolyard BS.” He did his best Jeff Hardy impression near the goal line and swanton bombed into a flock of Raiders. He also threw a beautiful sidearm pass to Khalil Shakir for a touchdown, and ran around before throwing across his body to Gabe Davis for a score, as well. The Bills also only allowed one touchdown, which came on the opening drive, and picked off Jimmy Garoppolo twice. It’s Victory Week, Bills Mafia- get the tables.
33rd Team
Ranking: 6 (no change)
Josh Allen’s Buffalo Bills have been among the most consistent teams over the past several years. We expected a correction game against the Raiders last week, and that’s what we got. RB James Cook and rookie TE Dalton Kincaid already are making an impact. Allen has a better-supporting cast on offense this year than he did last season.
Pro Football Network
Ranking: 5 (⬇ one spot)
The Buffalo Bills got back to their dominant selves in Week 2 after laying an absolute egg in Week 1 against the Aaron Rodgers-less New York Jets. All Josh Allen needed to do was keep the car on the right side of the road. Instead, he played like Uncle Rico trying to relive his glory days. But Buffalo’s defense is not infallible. They allowed over six yards per play against Las Vegas, but Vegas only controlled the ball for 20 minutes and 39 offensive plays.
The Sporting News
Ranking: 6 (⬆ two spots)
The Bills took full advantage offensively and defensively as a teed-up get well game at home agains the Raiders to settle Josh Allen and their most talented principals. They can't look past the Commanders before a Dolphins clash.
Yahoo! Sports
Ranking: 5 (no change)
The Bills might have found something out with James Cook on Sunday. He had 123 yards on 17 carries. Can he be a true No. 1 back and much-needed offensive weapon around Josh Allen? It looked like it against the Raiders.
FOX Sports
Ranking: 7 (no change)
Good Josh Allen showed up, which was guaranteed to mean bad things for the Raiders. I expected Buffalo to cover the large point spread of -8.5, but they obliterated it. More impressive than anything Allen and his offense did in the 38-10 win: the Bills defense held Josh Jacobs to -2 yards on nine carries.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Bills power rankings for NFL Week 3: Josh Allen, Buffalo needed win
