Where do the Buffalo Bills rank as Super Bowl contenders in Week 17?

Where do the Buffalo Bills rank among the rest of the Super Bowl contenders heading into Week 17?

Evan Massey | 12 Hours Ago

Dec 8, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Buffalo Bills wide receiver Khalil Shakir (10) celebrates his touchdown scored against the Los Angeles Rams with wide receiver Mack Hollins (13) and tight end Dawson Knox (88) during the second half at SoFi Stadium. / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

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The Buffalo Bills are heading into their Week 17 AFC East showdown against the New York Jets with a 12-3 record. They are still fresh off of a tight 24-21 win over the New England Patriots last week.

While the game was too close for comfort against the Patriots, they found a way to win. At the end of the day, a win is a win regardless of how close the final score ends up being.

Josh Allen and company have one goal and one goal only. They want to win a Super Bowl this season. Anything less than that would end up being a failure.

Right now, they appear to be one of the top teams in line to accomplish that goal.

Where do the Bills rank among the rest of the contenders in the NFL? That depends on who you ask.

Let's take a look at where Buffalo ranks according to multiple different outlets in their power rankings heading into Week 17.

Sports Illustrated: No. 3

NBC Sports: No. 5

The Sporting News: No. 2

USA Today: No. 1

ESPN: No. 4

Those are the recent power rankings from many of the high-profile publications out there. Obviously, all of them have differing viewpoints about the Bills, but they all have them in the top five.

Looking closer at the team, the offense is one of the best in football. The defense, on the other hand, is a big part of the reason that Buffalo doesn't top the list for most of these outlets.

If the Bills' defense could play up to its full potential consistently, there would not be many holes to see. Unfortunately, the unit has shown that it is more than capable of giving up 40 points in a game. That is not a recipe for success in the playoffs.

Hopefully, the last two weeks of the season help Buffalo find its groove. Should they be playing their best football on both sides of the football heading into the postseason, they stand a good chance at a Super Bowl run.

However, if they're still struggling defensively, it would be a much tougher path. A lot more will be known about the Bills after this week's game against Aaron Rodgers and the Jets.

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