After three weeks of the 2024 NFL season, the Buffalo Bills spot in the AFC was one of the conference’s top three teams. Quarterback Josh Allen and the team were riding high after big wins over the Arizona Cardinals, Miami Dolphins, and Jacksonville Jaguars.
Week 4 witnessed the Bills first true test of the season, one which they undeniably flunked. The Baltimore Ravens bounced Buffalo from the ranks of the undefeated with a 35-10 blowout. Allen and the offense couldn’t muster anything on offense. The defense looked overmatched on nearly every drive.
The question remains – after five weeks of the 2024 NFL season, where do the Buffalo Bills fit among the teams in the AFC? They’re still atop the AFC East but have been riddled with cracks and schematic issues that need to be addressed or changed.
The Kansas City Chiefs (5-0) still easily hold the top spot in the AFC and probably the NFL. Even with two losses, the Baltimore Ravens are the second-best squad in the conference. Baltimore lost to the Chiefs by a point and could have left Arrowhead Stadium with a win. The team also inexplicably lost to the Las Vegas Raiders. Despite that, John Harbaugh has led his team to three wins in a row.
The Houston Texans are the best team in a weak division like the Bills. However, unlike the Bills, they know who they are – a team built on its three-headed monster passing attack and strong defense. They rarely abandon their game plans since they know how their bread is buttered. Outside of a Week 3 blowout loss in Minnesota, the Texans have shown that last year wasn’t a fluke.
Here’s the Buffalo Bills Spot in the Current Hierarchy of the AFC
The Best of a Struggling Bunch
After winning the AFC East for the last four years, the Bills still rank at the top of the division. Once Tom Brady went south, Allen became the division’s best signal caller. He immediately gave Buffalo something the rest of the division lacked – a diversely skilled signal caller who could put the team on his shoulders.
The Miami Dolphins finally got a healthy season out of Tua Tagovailoa in 2023. Unfortunately, he’s out of the lineup again after another scary hit. Letting defensive end Christian Wilkins walk in the off-season also left the defense among the worst units in the league.
The Patriots can’t figure out how to coherently field an offense. After letting Brady go, the team has only gotten worse each year. New England also shook things up this week when Jerod Mayo named rookie Drake Maye the starter for Week 6. Can the young gunslinger shore up some offensive holes against the Texans?
The New York Jets, long one of the most poorly run franchises, got a boost by adding Aaron Rodgers. The problem was Rodgers is over 40 and got injured in the first game of the 2023 season. He’s back on the field in 2024 but the Jets offensive line almost gets Rodgers hurt every game.
The team didn’t even wait long to implode as it quickly fired head coach Robert Saleh only five weeks into the season. If the Jets ever want to be the team a lot of fans and pundits truly want them to be, they need to look in the mirror.
Already Behind the Eight Ball
For those reasons, the Buffalo Bills spot still has them atop the AFC East. That will likely earn them a division title unless the Jets can greatly clean things up before the final stretch of the season. While Buffalo is still the cleanest shirt in the AFC East closet, the gap closed a bit over the last two years.
In terms of ranking against other top AFC Teams, the Bills are a flawed playoff team. If the current product doesn’t improve, Buffalo may get bounced in the first round of the playoffs. The Pittsburgh Steelers also sit at 3-2 and have strengths and weaknesses. The defense leads the charge but the offense is hard to watch.
The Denver Broncos defense stifles opponents but is led by a rookie quarterback. Bo Nix has shown improvement over the last few weeks. Denver could be in the hunt come December, as could the Los Angeles Chargers under Jim Harbaugh.
It’s still early in the 2024 season and problems can be addressed and moves can be made. Fixing those problems and patching the leaks on offense and defense will determine how far Allen can take the team.
Main Image Courtesy of Thomas Shea – Imagn Images
