Fire up the barbecue because the Buffalo Bills hope to serve some burnt beef brisket to Texans Sunday afternoon at NRG Stadium in Houston.
Here's a look at what NFL power ranking experts are saying as the Bills try to pick themselves up after a humbling loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday night.
Bills' average rank this week: 5.1
Bills ranking: 5 (⬇ three spots)
Texans ranking : 13 (⬇ two spots)
Bills: Sunday night was hardly the way you want to start a stretch of five roadies in seven weeks — and further exposed what had already been a problematic run defense. But a team that still owns the AFC's best point differential (+39) despite a 25-point loss at Baltimore still looks very capable — and set up — to make near- and long-term runs.
Texans: They've been outscored on the season and have struggled to beat three average-at-best opponents to date. Fresh off scoring his first career rushing TD, perennial Pro Bowler Stefon Diggs and his new mates are now going to run into a smarting Buffalo team — and that may be an awkward reunion for the wideout six months after his surprising trade.
Bills ranking: 7 (⬇ five spots)
Texans ranking: 3 (⬆ three spots)
Bills: They lost for the first time at Baltimore and didn't play well. They were beat up on both lines. Now they head to a tough game at Houston against the Texans.
Texans: They didn't play great against the Jaguars, but they found a way. They have to start scoring touchdowns. The offensive line is a problem.
This week, ESPN staffers were asked to point out the biggest issue on defense for each team.
Bills ranking: 3 (⬇ one spot)
Texans ranking: 8 (no change)
Biggest issue on defense for the Bills: Maintaining the scheme with backups.
Bills: After the Bills survived with many backups through the first three weeks, their defensive shortcomings were exposed by Baltimore. The Ravens forced the Bills out of their preferred nickel package, and everything went downhill with three backup linebackers on the field. The Ravens rushed for 217 yards before contact, which was the most the Bills had allowed in a game since 2012. Buffalo could get a potential boost in the coming weeks with the return of linebacker Terrel Bernard (pectoral) and nickel corner Taron Johnson (forearm). But the Bills should expect other teams to force them out of their scheme, and they'll need to adjust accordingly.
Biggest issue on defense for the Texans: Safeties in coverage.
Texans: Houston's safeties are getting picked on by opposing offenses. The Texans run Cover 4 on 34% of first and second downs. So, teams run play-action to make the safeties cover vertical routes, which is part of why the Texans have allowed the second-most yards off play-action on early downs (337). Also, foes are putting their better wide receivers in the slot to match them up against those safeties. That group has given up four touchdowns in coverage, according to NFL Next Gen Stats.
Bills ranking: 4 (⬇ three spots)
Texans ranking: 7 (⬇ two spots)
Bills: No rookie got more preseason publicity than second-round wide receiver Keon Coleman, who lights up the room with his personality. On the field, it’s been fine if less dynamic. Coleman is the second-leading wide receiver on the team, but he has fewer catches (eight for 126 yards) than running back James Cook. The problem for Buffalo on Sunday, though, was the defense, which gave up 7.9 yards per play, which tied for the worst total in a game this season.
Texans: The Texans did OK in the 2024 draft considering they didn’t have a first-round pick. Their top four picks are pitching in, starting with second-round cornerback Kamari Lassiter, who is starting and tied for the team lead in tackles Sunday with six. The real story against the Jaguars, though, was Nico Collins, the 2021 third-round pick who had 151 receiving yards Sunday and leads the NFL with 489 this season.
Bills ranking: 5 (⬇ two spots)
Texans ranking: 4 (⬆ three spots)
Bills: The Bills had a bad night in Baltimore , leaving major concerns about their run defense and short-area pass coverage. However, they were rolling with Josh Allen before the tough road trip, and they now have a chance to make a statement at the Texans and Jets over the next two weeks.
Texans: The Texans got their real offense going with C.J. Stroud and his talented skill support to pull out a key win over the Jaguars. They are in full control to run away with the weak AFC South.
Bills ranking: 9 (⬇ seven spots)
Texans ranking: 10 (⬇ two spots)
Bills: I don’t know how much stock you can put into a game in which Derrick Henry rolls an 80-plus yard run on you in the opening seconds. I suppose…don’t do that again? To me, this exposed nothing about the Bills except for their inability to keep Josh Allen out of harm’s way. Did you know coaches can go onto a database every Monday and get every trick play run…basically in the United States at any level…and this is what they chose?
Texans: The most encouraging part of this Texans win may have been the nature of the slog. At almost no point did this game look beautiful—Stefon Diggs had to take a very cool throw back that we actually saw Jared Goff score on Monday…by himself. Even on the final touchdown play, what won the game for the Texans was an all-out commitment from everyone on that offense to sell the Jaguars on a run play to the opposite side.
Bills ranking: 3 (⬇ two spots)
Texans ranking: 7 (⬆ two spots)
Bills: Losing at Baltimore, even in a lopsided game, doesn’t mean the Bills got exposed. They’re still a very good team with an elite QB. They just won’t go undefeated this season. However, it doesn’t get easier with a Week 5 matchup at the Texans.
Texans: C.J. Stroud was 27 of 40 for 345 yards and two touchdowns, including a game-winner with less than 30 seconds left. He did that without Tank Dell and his top two running backs. Just in case you had forgotten briefly how special the Texans’ quarterback is.
Bills ranking : 6 (⬇ four spots)
Texans ranking: 7 (⬆ three spots)
Bills: The Buffalo Bills looked fantastic in the first three weeks of the season. But for as good as they looked against the Cardinals, Dolphins, and Jaguars, they looked just as bad against the Ravens. Baltimore completely controlled the line of scrimmage, and Buffalo had no shot on either side of the ball. The Bills are still a Super Bowl contender, but this was a rough outing for the Buffalo faithful.
Texans: The Houston Texans are 3-1, but they haven’t “looked” like a team ready to challenge the Chiefs atop of the AFC quite yet. C.J. Stroud has been fine, and Nico Collins is off to a great start, but something about this team doesn’t feel quite ready yet for big-time games. Maybe that’ll happen in the next few months, but it’s fair to be a little disappointed in the Texans despite their 3-1 start.
Bills ranking: 5 (⬇ four spots)
Texans ranking : 7 (⬆ two spots)
Bills: How could a team lack “urgency” when facing a Ravens team that urgently needed a home win?
Texans: How differently would we feel about Houston if they hadn’t pulled off a win over the Jaguars?
Bills ranking: 4 (⬇ two spots)
Texans ranking: 5 (⬆ one spot)
Bills: Did you know the Bills hadn’t lost by more than 10 points in 43 regular-season games prior to Sunday night? It’s a testament to how competitive they’ve been in the Josh Allen era, even if Sunday night was quite the thud. Amazingly, they had a chance to flip the game on its head with the Ravens keeping the door open with mistakes. But a trick-play fumble, a Ravens touchdown and a Tyler Bass missed field goal slammed it closed. The offense had its share of issues, but the defense was a problem for the first time since early in Week 1. Buffalo won’t see a rushing attack like Baltimore’s again anytime soon, but the schedule remains tough with three of the next four on the road and several big games on the horizon. The Bills still have an open road in front of them to capture the AFC East title, which is why I’m not too worried, but this performance reminded me a little too much of last season’s darkest days.
Texans: Following up a blowout road loss with a last-minute home comeback is often a reason to celebrate, but the Texans are making things far more difficult than they need to be, which remains a troubling element of this team. C.J. Stroud can play the role of hero, and Houston needed him to do just that on Sunday. He and Nico Collins are in a rare groove right now, and Stefon Diggs has settled into his role nicely. But the Texans had costly penalties in all three phases, including some especially damaging offensive flags. This team can’t get out of its own way at times, but there’s enough talent and fight to still be encouraged, especially given the blight that has been the AFC South so far this season.
(This story was updated to add new information.)
Bill Wolcott is a producer who helps cover the Buffalo Bills, high school and Rochester sports in general. The lifelong New Yorker has been a journalist for 30 years.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Bills tumble down NFL power rankings after humbling loss to Ravens: See how far they fell
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