Power rankings: Bills rise back up after throttling Raiders

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?

Last Week: 5

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.

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.

(Last week: 19)

Sunday: Beat Las Vegas Raiders 38-10

Good Josh Allen showed up Sunday. After his season-opening meltdown, Allen was 31-for-37 for 274 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions against the Raiders. It was his fifth career game with three or more touchdowns and a completion percentage above 80, according to ESPN Stats & Info.

Up next: at Washington Commanders, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET

Last week: win vs. Las Vegas, 38–10
Next week: at Washington

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.

The Jenga tower has currently stabilized.

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, holding Las Vegas to 10 points and forcing three turnovers. That is more like what I expected from Buffalo coming into the season.

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.

Week 2 ranking: 9

Player: WR Gabe Davis
Current contract situation: Under contract through the 2023 season

Davis is playing on the final year of his rookie deal after the Bills drafted him in the fourth round of the 2020 draft. Davis suffered a high ankle sprain prior to Week 2 last season and finished with 48 catches for 836 yards and seven touchdowns but was often targeted on throws downfield and had nine drops. Davis is a strong run-blocker, was named a team captain for the first time in 2023 and has eight catches for 124 yards and a score so far this season. His future in Buffalo will depend on what he wants in a contract and if the Bills think he is the best option to pair with Stefon Diggs going forward.