No. 2. Bills (10-3)
Some teams step up in December. Some teams don't. The Bills are.
No. 3. Buffalo Bills (10-3)
The Bills' offense is a complete turnaround from last season's anemic unit, as Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs have combined to form one of the most potent QB-WR duos in the NFL. Although their defense began the season hemorrhaging yards, it has regained its 2018 and 2019 form over the past few weeks. Mix in a special-teams unit that features the league's most efficient returner in Andre Roberts, and you've got a team ready to make a deep playoff run. -- Marcel Louis-Jacques
No. 3. Buffalo Bills (10-3)
At 10-3, the Buffalo Bills are on the verge of their first AFC East title in a quarter-century. Sunday night's statement win over the Pittsburgh Steelers established the Bills as perhaps the biggest threat to Kansas City in the AFC. The Bills are riding as high as they have since the 1990s. It's funny how that coincided with the arrival of Stefon Diggs in western New York. With 10 catches for 130 yards and a touchdown against the Steelers, Diggs has already tallied 1,167 receiving yards on 100 catches for the season. After the game, Bills quarterback Josh Allen raved about the impact Diggs has made for the team.
"All he wants to do is help his team win football games," Allen told reporters. "He's a competitor, and we have very similar mindsets. I love the guy. He goes out there and competes his tail off and I'm just super blessed that we traded for him."
The tests aren't over yet for the Bills, who face New England and Miami over the final two weeks of the regular season. But in Gagnon's opinion, it's well past time to take the Bills seriously as a Super Bowl threat.
"For a while, I was afraid to trust the Bills because they lack experience and their so-so scoring margin was concerning," he said. "But they've now won four of their last five games by double-digit margins, and their only loss since Week 7 came on a Hail Mary on the road against a playoff-caliber team. It's time to admit they're a true contender."
No. 3. Buffalo Bills (10-3)
Like a few other teams below, the Bills traded their first-round pick for a veteran and are reaping the benefits. Stefon Diggs was a monster in the Bills' win over the Steelers, catching 10 balls for 130 yards and a touchdown. He leads the league in receptions (100), is third in receiving yards (1,167) and has consistently shown a competitive juice that has embodied the Bills' identity. Buffalo has won six of seven and looks like the biggest threat to the Chiefs in the AFC.
No. 3. Buffalo Bills (10–3)
Next week: at Denver
Washington ruined Buffalo's chance to hand Pittsburgh its first defeat of the season, but this was nonetheless a statement win for the Bills, who are closing in on what would be their first AFC East crown since 1995.
No. 3. Buffalo Bills (10-3)
Josh Allen is proving to a lot of people he's now a star quarterback. This team is legit and can be a Super Bowl team
No. 3. Buffalo Bills (10-3)
Last week's rank: 5
The Bills have elbowed their way into the conversation about which team is the AFC's best. In fact, they may have elbowed the Steelers right out of that conversation Sunday night.
No. 4. Buffalo Bills (10-3)
Previous rank: No. 5
The Bills are peaking at the right time. Six days after Josh Allen played like a superstar in a convincing victory over the 49ers, the Bills put together their most complete game of the season to date in an impressive 26-15 win over the Steelers. The two teams danced around each other like a pair of heavyweights in the early going, but once Buffalo landed the first big overhand right -- a pick-six by Taron Johnson -- the much-anticipated showdown between two AFC favorites turned into a beatdown by the pugilists from Western New York. Allen was excellent again, Stefon Diggs couldn't be covered, and the revitalized Buffalo defense put the clamps on Pittsburgh's short passing game. At 10-3, the Bills are on the verge of their first AFC East title since 1995. This team is capable of winning much more than its division.
No. 4. Buffalo Bills (10-3)
What a year from WR Stefon Diggs, who leads league with 100 grabs and will set Buffalo record for one season – he currently shares it with Eric Moulds – with his next reception.
