Power rankings: Bills jump Packers in NFL.com poll
In NFL.com’s latest power rankings, the Bills land at the No. 3 overall spot.
In slotting there following the 2021 NFL draft, the Bills jumped one team in particular, the Packers. Buffalo is up one while Green Bay are down a position.
Explaining that decision was writer Dan Hanzus:
If the Bills had a discernible weakness they needed to address entering the offseason it was their pass rush. No Buffalo defender had more than five sacks during the team’s 13-3 campaign, so the Bills used the draft to add some firepower. The team gobbled up Miami edge Gregory Rousseau in the first round (No. 30 overall), then doubled down by selecting Carlos Basham Jr. one round later (No. 61). Both prospects will get the opportunity to contribute as rookies, and the Bills need at least one of them to hit in an offseason where the AFC-best Chiefs have fortified their offensive line.
While the Bills did address their pass rush at the draft, the individual stats aren’t really doing it justice. The bigger factor is team sack totals. Buffalo had 38 as a defense in 2020, which landed them right in the middle of the NFL. The goal is to put the team over the edge in the short and long term in that department and based on the power ranking poll, NFL.com approves of the Bills’ efforts to do so via Rousseau and Basham.
Ahead of the Bills in the ranking were the Bucs and Chiefs, respectively. Both of those clubs remained in the same spots from prior to the draft. Rounding out the top-five behind the Packers were the Ravens.
In terms of the AFC East, the Dolphins jumped up one spot the No. 14, as they’re the closest divisional foe behind the Bills. The Patriots and Jets round out the division in No. 18 and 27, respectively.
