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The Buffalo Bills did not look like a team riding a two-game losing streak coming off their bye. Buffalo punished the Panthers on both sides of the ball on their way to a comfortable 40-9 victory. James Cook led the way for the offense with 216 yards rushing on 19 attempts. The Bills’ offensive line did a great job at the point of attack, which led to plenty of success for the back. The passing game did not fare as well, but offensive coordinator Joe Brady did not seem worried about it following the win, stating that the team didn’t need to pass in their latest victory. Buffalo’s defensive line created chaos for Andy Dalton and the Panthers offensive line, on the other side of the ball. The unit racked up seven sacks, nine QB hits, double-digit pressures, an interception, forced fumble and fumble recovery. The Bills will need that type of effort this weekend if they hope to extend their win streak to two games when they take on the Kansas City Chiefs. Following their win, here’s a look at where the Bills find themselves on various power rankings. ESPN: No. 4 (Up 2) Best offseason addition: DT Deone Walker The fourth-round pick has turned into a valuable player for the Bills, especially given the injuries that have hit their defensive tackle position. Playing time for Walker and other defensive rookies isn’t a surprise, but he has started six games and played 51.7% of defensive plays. He is tied for the team high in tackles for loss (seven) with Ed Oliver and is third leaguewide in run stop rate (8.2%). Since Oliver is out indefinitely with a torn left biceps, the Bills will need Walker to continue stepping up. Sports Illustrated: No. 8 (Down 1) One hundred and forty one of James Cooks’ 216 yards on Sunday came before first contact. That doesn’t mean James Cook doesn’t break tackles. It means that no one can touch James Cook. USA Today: No. 10 (Down 1) RB James Cook’s 216-yard rushing performance Sunday was the most by a Buffalo player since O.J. Simpson had 273 in a game 49 years ago. Pro Football Talk: No. 11 (No change) It’s good that they remembered James Cook is on the team. Yahoo: No. 5 (No change) Scoring 40 points was big, but seeing the defense dominate against the Panthers was a good sign after that unit showed some cracks before Buffalo’s bye. Buffalo forced three turnovers and didn’t allow a touchdown until the game was well out of hand. The Bills looked elite again. Bleacher Report: No. 7 (No change) Granted, it came against a bad Carolina Panthers team playing a backup quarterback, but the Bills team we saw coming out of the bye week was the Super Bowl contender we expect. The Bills dropped almost 250 rushing yards on Carolina—with 216 and over 11 yards a carry coming from James Cook. Josh Allen only attempted 19 passes, but he was efficient and avoided mistakes. Buffalo allowed fewer than 250 yards of offense and forced three turnovers. Given the opponent the blowout win doesn’t erase all the concerns created by Buffalo’s back-to-back losses before the bye. But the emphatic victory gives the Bills a nice head of steam heading into next week’s massive home showdown with Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. Win that game, and the Bills can reclaim their status as one of the favorites in the AFC.
