NFL Rankings for 2024: Here’s What Analysts Think of the Bills for Week 1

The 53-man squad has been set, training camp is over and all pre-season games have been played. The only thing that separates football fans from the regular season are the sometimes painful weekend hours leading up to the first kick-off.

With the start of the NFL season comes the return of NFL Power Rankings. Power rankings often attempt to rally a fan base to the author who either extols their team or makes them their worst enemy.

We may not have a full first week of games under our belt yet, but let’s take a look at where some media outlets have the Buffalo Bills coming into Week 1. Buffalo will look different on offense after losing Gabe Davis to free agency and trading Stefon Diggs — who recently made it clear he was the one looking to get out, or in his own words, “shake things up.” That will hopefully mean a big season for second-year tight end Dalton Kincaid and for Khalil Shakir, who picked up the slack late last season while Diggs played the box scorer card.

On the other side of the ball, the safety position will look much different for Buffalo, as Micah Hyde is still considering retirement and could technically sign elsewhere, while Jordan Poyer opted to sign with the Miami Dolphins in free agency. On Wednesday, head coach Sean McDermott announced that Damar Hamlin earned one of the starting safety spots, completing his journey after suffering a traumatic cardiac arrest two seasons ago.

Let’s take a look at the latest rankings to see where the national media places the Bills entering the 2024 NFL season.

NFL.com: 8

I’m all for taking a bath early in the season, when the Bills are in for a rough patch as they work in some new faces. It’s going to be a process, even with robo-QB Josh Allen able to make up for some of the shortcomings. I’ve heard a lot of moaning about losing wide receivers Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis, though personally I’m more concerned about replacing guys like linebacker Matt Milano (for now?) and center Mitch Morse. But once Buffalo can work out those internal questions, I still think Allen and a decent core of talent will emerge from the gauntlet and remain a postseason threat. It’s very hard to argue that the Bills are a better team on paper now than the group they lost last season, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be superior come season’s end. — Eric Edholm

PFF: 4

Expected victories: 9.7

Besides quarterback Josh Allen, the Bills’ biggest strength is cornerback, with Christian Benford, Rasul Douglas and Taron Johnson earning top 20 PFF overall grades at the position last year. Their biggest weakness is at wide receiver after losing Gabe Davis and Stefon Diggs in the offseason, leaving them with a depleted receiving corps. Rookie Keon Coleman, a second-round pick out of Florida State, is an X-factor in 2024, with the potential to become the team’s No. 1 receiver.

Despite Allen being the quarterback, the team’s roster took a significant hit due to salary cuts, making it uncertain whether they can maintain their dominance in the AFC East as the Dolphins and Jets pose threats. John Kosko

You can rule them out if you want, but I won’t. Brandon Beane has done a good job of rebuilding this team. They have a nice mix of young and old. Oh, and Josh Allen. — Piet Prisco

The Buffalo Bills have dominated the AFC East in recent years, winning four straight division titles. But the team has won just one AFC title game in that span, with three of those postseason runs ending at the hands of Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.

Now, the team is coming off an offseason that was… let’s just say bumpy. Buffalo’s top two receivers from last year (Gabe Davis and Stefon Diggs) are gone, replaced by veterans like Curtis Samuel and rookie Keon Coleman. After years of holding down the back of Buffalo’s defense, veteran safeties Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer are also elsewhere. Linebacker Matt Milano could be out for the season after tearing his biceps.

Speaking to reporters, Bills head coach Sean McDermott said that while the loss of players hurts, the team feels like there are players on the roster who are willing to fill the void.

“You never replace people like (Diggs), players like that. No two players or people are the same,” McDermott said. “It’s an opportunity for people to take on new roles, to challenge themselves a little bit. To hold people accountable to someone else. I think a big part of it is you’re not just hiring or bringing in leaders. You’re developing leaders all the time.”

Any team led by Josh Allen is a tough opponent. But in a loaded AFC, Davenport wonders if the Bills lost one player too many this offseason.

“Don’t get me wrong,” he said. “The Bills are still a clear playoff contender and may still be the class of the AFC East. But the Chiefs added wide receiver talent this offseason. The Baltimore Ravens added a potential nightmare for opposing defenses in running back Derrick Henry. And the Bills added—not by much.”

“Frankly, losing Poyer and Milano on defense could have even bigger implications,” Davenport continued. “Both of them have been leaders on that side of the ball for a long time — guys who made sure people were where they needed to be and rallied the troops when things weren’t going great. The gap between the Chiefs and the Bills seems to have widened. The gap between the Bills, Dolphins and Jets has narrowed. Neither is good news in Western New York.” — BR staff

Who’s in the hot seat: Coach Sean McDermott

This isn’t about job security, but about the challenge McDermott faces this season in a different way. After winning the division the past four seasons, the Bills have undergone a transition this offseason, reshaping several areas. McDermott enters 2024 with two new full-time coordinators and a slew of young players, while also dealing with quarterback Josh Allen, who is in the seventh year of his career and has only appeared in one AFC Championship Game. Plus, there have already been injuries on defense, most notably to linebacker Matt Milano, but the coach has found success despite past injuries. The Bills’ balance of having success while simultaneously building for future years with Allen and guiding a reshaped roster is a unique challenge. — Alaina Getzenberg

Training camp hasn’t done much to change my opinion that the Bills will do well. They even lost Matt Milano this summer, and I still have faith that they’ll figure it out. A big part of that is Josh Allen at quarterback. Allen has to be great, and he needs one or two of his young, talented players to step up. I have faith that all of that will happen. — David Helman

Linebacker Matt Milano was placed on the injured list with a torn biceps but was designated to return, meaning the Bills are hopeful one of their top defensive players will return before the end of the season. — Justin Leger

Josh Allen appears more determined than ever to take the Bills where they want to go.

Pre-season vibes: Trail Blazers by Clyde Drexler

Buffalo may have the second-best player in the NFL in quarterback Josh Allen. The Bills have won games by double digits in five straight seasons, but they continue to bump heads against the Patrick Mahomes Ceiling (Mahomes is Michael Jordan in our comparison here, if that wasn’t obvious). Buffalo has lost five playoff games in the last five years by an average of 8.6 points. Three of those were against the Chiefs, and two by less than a touchdown. The Bills’ window may be closing due to salary cap cuts (and another serious injury to Matt Milano ), but it’s still open because of Allen. — Josh Kendall

Josh Allen MVP season coming? I don’t know if the Bills offense will be pretty as they deal with the loss of Stefon Diggs and, in general, the challenge of getting people open in new and different ways. But I think this could be Allen’s defining season because, if he’s healthy, there’s so much weight on his shoulders and he could be carrying people to the end zone on his back all year long. I’ve gone on record saying that we’re going to see some new receiver stars emerge in Buffalo, like Khalil Shakir. If James Cook can get going, the Bills could roll to an AFC East title. — Conor Orr

While the spotlight is on the departure of WR Stefon Diggs, there has been so much roster churn — on both sides of the ball — since the perennial AFC East champions suffered a heartbreaking playoff loss to Kansas City. And to then lose All-Pro LB Matt Milano (biceps) for another extended period? The Mafia can expect a blow to their recent aspirations. — Nate Davis

The Super Bowl race won’t be closed until Josh Allen is in his prime, but the quarterback has more influence on it than ever.

The salary cap closed in on the Bills, who lost their top two receivers (Diggs and Gabe Davis) and top three defensive backs (Micah Hyde, Jordan Poyer and Tre’Davious White).

The long-term injury to linebacker Matt Milano won’t help either. Ryan Dunleavy

Previous ranking: 5

It was a tough training camp and pre-season preparation for the Buffalo Bills, as they are already injured for the 2024 season.

Pro Bowl LB Matt Milano will miss most of the year with a torn biceps, and there are multiple players in the secondary who are at risk of missing Week 1. Buffalo has a tough schedule this year, but expect Josh Allen to find a way to get back to double figures. — Marcus Mosher

Click the link to read Diante Lee’s comments on this year’s Bills team.