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NFL Power Rankings: Where Do Buffalo Bills Rank in NFL's Balance of Power?

Mike Chiari
Jun 7, 2018

After an impressive 2-0 start to the 2011 season, the Buffalo Bills were considered to be a nice little story, but their staying power was quite questionable. There was no way they would keep it up with the mighty New England Patriots and Tom Brady coming into town, right? Wrong.

Four Brady interceptions and a 34-31 win later, the Bills are finally getting their due as a legitimate contender. One win does not a playoff team make, however. Bills fans surely remember the 2003 season when Buffalo beat New England to open the year and received every accolade possible.

It was all downhill from there, though, as the Bills went on to miss the playoffs. Perhaps the 2008 season is a bit fresher in the minds of the Buffalo faithful. The Bills started 4-0 that season, but ended up going 7-9 and once again failing to make the postseason.

Even with recent history saying the Bills are nothing more than an aberration, there is reason to believe (or Bill-ieve) in Buffalo this season. The offense may read like an island of misfit toys with Ryan Fitzpatrick (seventh round), Fred Jackson (undrafted), Stevie Johnson (seventh round) and David Nelson (undrafted) all essentially being picked off the scrap heap, but the Bills are for real in that regard.

The Bills are fourth in rushing, third in total yardage and first in scoring over the season's first three games. While those numbers might come back to Earth a bit, the Bills have an offensive system that works. Head coach Chan Gailey runs a spread offense that keeps opposing defenses off balance.

Fitzpatrick, a Harvard graduate, is the perfect signal caller to run it as well, as he can quickly process defensive schemes and make the necessary adjustments. Buffalo's fantastic passing game is supplemented by a grind-it-out running game behind the underrated Jackson.

Defense may be a problem, but the Bills seem willing and able to outscore their opponents. While the pass defense is soft, Buffalo's league-worst run defense from 2010 has improved markedly and will certainly come in handy.

The Bills will need to get to the quarterback with greater regularity moving forward because they can't expect to be fortunate to pick off four passes on a weekly basis. As long as the defense bends, but doesn't break, though, the Bills should certainly be playoff bound.

Did Browns Make Right QB1 Choice? 🤔