NFL Power Rankings: Buffalo Bills Climbing Despite Ugly Win?

How far did the Buffalo Bills climb after their 14-9 win over the New York Giants?

It was far from pretty, but the Buffalo Bills found themselves on the right side of the scoreboard in their 14-9 win over the New York Giants on Sunday Night Football at Highmark Stadium.

Despite the ugly win, Buffalo moved its way up to No. 5 in Sports Illutrated's power rankings. The Bills (4-2) were No. 7 in Sports Illustrated's Week 6 power rankings.

"I am running a bit counter to the current Bills narrative, which is that Sunday night’s near loss to the Giants was an example of them running out of steam, or ideas, or Josh Allen letting everyone know that he’s not always going to be able to turn into Wolverine at the last minute," SI writes. "But I actually liked their insistence on getting the run game going. James Cook had what you might consider the third-best game of his career when considering a healthy volume, and a healthy yards-per-carry average. The Bills challenged the Giants at one of their (very few) remaining strengths: the defensive interior. Cook was especially good off the guards Sunday." 

Josh Allen threw two touchdowns against the New York Giants / © Gregory Fisher, USA TODAY

The Bills finally found success in the second half when they relied much more on the running game, helping lead to their two touchdown drives. James Cook had 14 carries for 71 yards and Latavius Murray ran the ball 12 times for 45 yards. 

Josh Allen completed 19 of 30 passes for 169 yards and threw two touchdowns and an interception. Stefon Diggs led the receiving corps with 10 catches for 100 yards.

Buffalo's defense put together another strong performance and was led by cornerback Taron Johnson. He led the team with 15 tackles and the pivotal pass-breakup on the final play of the game. 

"He's been on fire since I've been playing with him," Von Miller said of Johnson. "He's a hell of a teammate, and I'm glad to have him on my side."

Through six games, the Bills are tied for the league lead in sacks with 24, and third in points allowed per game with 14.8.

The Bills will look to put together a better performance when they head to Gillette Stadium to face the New England Patriots (1-5) on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.