The Buffalo Bills pulled out their fifth win of the season on Sunday, beating a winless Miami Dolphins team 31-21. The victory was much closer than many anticipated, as Buffalo entered the week 17-point favorites. However, at the end of the day, a ten-point victory counts just the same as a 30-point victory in the most important place: the standings.
Where a ten-point victory doesn’t count the same as a 30-point victory, however, is in the power rankings—as evidenced by Buffalo’s placement this week. With Buffalo needing another strong fourth quarter to overcome a weaker opponent, many analysts are downgrading the 5-1 Bills for winning without style points.