The Buffalo Bills (7-4) head into Week 13 fresh off 23-19 loss to the Houston Texans.
The Bills have been at the top of NFL national power rankings polls most weeks throughout the 2025 season.
Is this week going to be different?
Here’s how the Bills fare in national media power rankings polls heading into Week 13:
USA Today
12. Buffalo Bills (6): QB Josh Allen has been sacked 17 times over his past four starts on the road. Welcome to Pittsburgh, Mr. MVP.
The Athletic
9. Buffalo Bills (7-4)
Last week: 7
Thursday: Lost to Texans 23-19
One big question: Will they ever stop the run?
The Texans entered last Thursday’s game with the NFL’s worst rushing offense (based on success rate). Then Woody Marks blasted the Bills for 4.6 yards per carry as Houston had few issues on the ground. The Bills are legit in a lot of areas, but they need to figure out their run defense before the playoffs.
Up next: at Steelers, Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET
Bleacher Report
8. Buffalo Bills (7-4)
Last Week: 6
Week 12 Result: Lost vs. Houston 23-19
The Buffalo Bills were expected to be among the AFC’s best teams in 2025 and a legitimate Super Bowl contender. And at 7-4, they are on track to make the playoffs. The season hasn’t gone according to plan, though.
Josh Allen had an outing against the Houston Texans he’d rather forget—the NFL MVP was dropped eight times, didn’t throw a touchdown pass and tossed two picks. The Buffalo run defense continues to be an issue on a weekly basis, and with 2024 first-round pick Keon Coleman a healthy scratch for a second straight week, the Bills’ pass-catchers are suspect.
Buffalo is two back of New England with a head-to-head loss against the Patriots, so the AFC East title is looking unlikely. And while the Bills are talented, it’s getting harder by the week to imagine them making it to Santa Clara and Super Bowl LX in February.
CBS Sports
9. Bills (-3)
They have all kinds of problems right now, which makes winning the division highly unlikely. Heck, if they don’t get it going, they might not make the playoffs.
FOX Sports
11. Buffalo Bills (-4)
With the fall of the Chiefs and Ravens, the whole AFC was sitting there for the taking before they lost in Houston. The Bills are really going to regret this missed opportunity.
Pro Football Focus
6. Buffalo Bills (Down 1)
Chance of making playoffs: 77%Chance of winning Super Bowl: 9%
Baltimore has won four straight games with Lamar Jackson (67.4 grade; 25th) back in the lineup, but has done so without the offense looking remotely close to its ideal self. Since Jackson’s return, the Ravens’ offense is 18th in success rate, and the group had a tough time moving the ball against the Jets in Week 12. It’ll likely come together at some point, but more importantly, the Ravens now lead the AFC North ahead of a huge Week 13 matchup against the Bengals.
Sports Illustrated
7. Buffalo Bills (7–4)
Last week’s ranking: No. 5Last week’s result: lost to Texans, 23–19This week: at Steelers
Of all the juggernauts who started slow this season, the Bills are the most perplexing because, unlike Kansas City, Houston and Baltimore, their schedule was fairly manageable. The Bills have played down to bad opponents, have looked gobsmacked more often than other AFC heavyweights and now feel solely dependent on the magical performance of a star quarterback. I’ve seen worse game plans succeed, but I’m starving for some consistency.
ESPN
10. Buffalo Bills (7-4)
Week 12 result: Lost to the Texans 23-19Week 12 ranking: 6
Thanksgiving game memory: Quarterback Josh Allen’s breakout game in 2019
The Bills’ 26-15 win over the Cowboys is often considered the game that introduced the nation to Allen. It was the team’s first Thanksgiving appearance since 1994. Allen went 19-of-24 for 231 yards and one passing touchdown; he rushed for 43 yards and one touchdown on 10 carries. The team’s success led to Thanksgiving appearances again in 2021 and 2022. There have been other good performances on the holiday, including OJ Simpson’s record performance in 1976, but nothing was bigger than cementing Allen’s place as the franchise QB the Bills were long searching for.
This article originally appeared on Bills Wire: NFL power rankings: Where do the Buffalo Bills rank ahead of Week 13?
Reporting by Nick Wojton, USA TODAY / Bills Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
