Bills Central

Snow - and Rankings - Drop in Buffalo: How Far Do 'Thundersnow' Bills Fall?

Back-to-back losses have the Buffalo Bills falling in the AFC East and in Sports Illustrated's power rankings. ... and something else is falling in Buffalo, too.

Nathaniel Marrero

After having a stranglehold on the top spot for most of the season, the Buffalo Bills’ grip has loosened following two consecutive losses.

Back-to-back losses have caused the Bills to drop to number two in Sports Illustrated’s power rankings. The only team ranked ahead of Buffalo is the Minnesota Vikings, who beat them 33-30 in an overtime thriller on Sunday.

Also dropping this weekend in Buffalo ... Thundersnow, which has the NFL considering moving Sunday's Browns-at-Bills game out of town.

But first ... football.

“For a while, the Bills were the only good team in the NFL,” SI writes. “We held them to an impossible standard, which made totally normal regular-season losses into significant narrative-forming issues. I think we can stop doing that. The world isn’t collapsing—just like we shouldn’t think the world is collapsing when the Eagles inevitably lose two of their final four games.”

Part of the Bills’ regression has been the up-and-down play of Josh Allen. In Buffalo’s last three games, Allen has thrown six interceptions — throwing two against the Green Bay Packers, New York Jets and Vikings.

Allen’s interceptions in the second half didn’t hurt Buffalo in its 27-17 win over Green Bay, but they cost them in their 20-17 loss to the Jets on Nov. 6 and overtime loss to Minnesota. Both of Allen’s picks against the Vikings found the hands of Patrick Peterson in the end zone — the second of which was the game's final play.

If the season were to end today, Buffalo would finish second in the AFC East and be the sixth seed in the AFC. The AFC East is the only division in football where every team is over .500. Each team in the division would be in the playoffs if the season concluded today.

Buffalo will host the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. Four to six feet of snow and 30 mph winds are potentially in the forecast for when they play. ... wherever they might play.

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Nathaniel Marrero
NATHANIEL MARRERO

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