Buffalo Bills continue to ‘find different ways to win’ (Post-Week 10 Power Rankings)

So much for the Buffalo Bills having a down season after moving on from several veterans.
Following their 30-20 win over the Indianapolis Colts, the Bills sit at 8-2. In addition to having one of the best records in the conference, Buffalo has a commanding lead in the AFC East. Buffalo’s latest win was led by the defense. The Bills created four turnovers in the victory notching three interceptios on Joe Flacco as well as a strip sack and fumble recovery.
Next up for Buffalo is a matchup at home against the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs. Before looking ahead to the matchup between two of the AFC’s best teams, here is a look at where the Bills, here is where multiple sites have the Bills listed on their power rankings as well as their analysis for the team.
Non-QB MVP: Cornerback Taron Johnson
The Bills are undefeated in games Johnson has played, and he is one of his unit’s veteran leaders. Since he returned in Week 6 from a forearm injury, the Bills have allowed a 35.2% third-down conversion rate and red zone efficiency of 44.4% (those numbers were 41.5% and 50%, respectively, in the games he missed). “[Johnson] throws his body around like he’s a linebacker, like he’s 240, so he brings a lot to our defense,” safety Taylor Rapp said. “I don’t think our defense could play the same way without him.”
Could the eventual return of Matt Milano to this very good Buffalo defense prove to be the salve for a team that struggles to find the extra edge at the most critical junctures of the season? The Bills are coasting just beneath the radar, not having to wilt under the weight of expectations and getting enough breathing room to figure themselves out. Luckily, no one in the AFC East is coming to challenge them.
A team on a five-game roll – and 8-2 for the first time in three decades – is close to getting LB Matt Milano back from a torn biceps and might be able to bring back LB Tyrel Dodson, too, after he was waived Monday by Seattle.
Win or lose vs. the Chiefs on Sunday, they won’t slay the dragon until they beat KC in the playoffs.
The Bills couldn’t have been happy to see the Broncos barely miss a chance to beat the Chiefs. Still, if Buffalo beats Kansas City at home on Sunday, they’ll be one loss behind the Chiefs and have the head-to-head tiebreaker in the race for the AFC’s No. 1 seed. Huge game.
Here come the Chiefs this week. It’s the Bills chance to show they are the class of the AFC with a game against the kings of the conference — their nemesis.
Buffalo put Indianapolis away with its final TD march, eating up nearly seven minutes of the fourth quarter, but it was a brow-wiping game, thanks to some run-defense issues and offensive inconsistencies. The Bills took control early with 10 points off two Colts turnovers, but allowed Indy to take back the lead with three straight scoring drives. Of course, Buffalo squeezed in two more scores in the final two-plus minutes of the first half and controlled the game from that point, but not without a few scares. On the surface, Josh Allen’s 0-TD, 2-INT performance looked ugly, but he had some MVP moments in this one, such as his 13-yard TD run or a brilliant 44-yard pass to Mack Hollins on third-and-10. Without Keon Coleman or Amari Cooper, the Bills still averaged a healthy 7.2 yards per pass. But they’ll need a much cleaner performance overall in this Sunday’s massive game, with Buffalo hosting Kansas City.
The Buffalo Bills headed to Indianapolis in Week 10 both on a roll and with a banged-up pass-catching corps. Buffalo didn’t have veteran wideout Amari Cooper or rookie Keon Coleman.
No problem.
Offensively, Buffalo was still able to generate 415 yards of offense and score 30 points. Defensively, the Bills forced four turnovers, including a Taron Johnson pick-six.
While addressing the media after the win, head coach Sean McDermott applauded the defense for carrying the day.
“I thought the defense, the takeaways was a big-time difference in the game,” coach Sean McDermott said. “I think they’re just a very competitive group, they take a lot of pride in not letting each other down.”
Josh Allen echoed those sentiments, although the quarterback said he needs to take better care of the ball himself.
“I threw two interceptions, can’t do that. We can be cleaner, that’s on me. We’ve got to play better on offense,” Allen said. “The defense played awesome. We gritted it out and that was a team win right there.”
Analyst’s Take
The Bills continue to find different ways to win. Against the Indianapolis Colts, Mack Hollins emerged as quarterback Josh Allen’s favorite target. Hollins’ 86 receiving yards on Sunday proved to be his best outing in over two years. With Amari Cooper and Keon Coleman currently dealing with wrist injuries, others needed to step up and perform. Hollins did.
Meanwhile, Allen helped the squad as a runner with 50 rushing yards and a touchdown to tie O.J. Simpson with the second-most rushing touchdowns in Bills franchise history. Imagine when the entire offense is on the field and hitting on all cylinders. — Sobleski