The Buffalo Bills enter Week 13 with a 7-4 record, a team that still flashes championship potential but hasn’t quite shaken off inconsistency.
Josh Allen’s explosive performance against Tampa Bay reminded the league why Buffalo belongs in the conversation, yet a stumble against Houston amplified growing concerns about the Bills' ability to protect their only true star (Allen) on offense.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementWith Houston, Kansas City, and this week’s opponent Pittsburgh all lurking at 6-5, Buffalo needs a win to keep its playoff cushion.
Buffalo hovers just outside the elite tier in rankings this week—a team as dangerous as it is vulnerable.
Bills’ mean power ranking in Week 13: 10.83
Bills median power ranking: 11
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen has a quarterback rating of 58.2 so far in 2025. It hasn't been that low since 2019, when he finished with a 49.4 rating.AZCentral
Bills ranking: 13 (⬇ five spots)
Steelers ranking: 16 (⬇ five spots)
Bills: The Bills (7-4) have dropped two of their last three games and find themselves looking up at the 10-2 Patriots in the AFC East. That game against New England on Dec. 14 could be huge if Josh Allen and Buffalo can bounce back with wins over the Steelers and Bengals in the next two weeks.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementSteelers: Too harsh a drop for a team that only lost by three without its starting QB? Maybe. But the Steelers have been trending downward for a while now, with losses in four of their past six games, and they have been passed by the Ravens in the AFC North standings, with the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore up next for Pittsburgh.
Sportsnaut
Bills ranking: 12 (⬇ seven spots)
Steelers ranking: 19 (⬇ six spots)
Bills: It’s possible the Buffalo Bills just have a Texans problem. However, there seem to be much bigger issues beyond that. Josh Allen has now been sacked 20 times in the last six games, with Buffalo posting a 6-6 record during that span. In that same span, opponents have averaged 151.7 rushing yards and 1.7 rushing touchdowns per game against Buffalo. When looking ahead to potential playoff matchups, the Bills’ weaknesses and their reliance on Allen don’t bode well for success.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementSteelers: It feels safe to say that the Pittsburgh Steelers can kiss the AFC North crown goodbye. Everything looked fairly promising heading into the middle of October, with the Steelers holding a 4-1 record and the Ravens sitting in the cellar of the division. Fast forward to Week 13, Baltimore now sits atop the division, and the Steelers still have to face the Bills, Ravens (twice), and Lions.
NFL Spin Zone
Bills ranking: 10 (⬇ three spots)
Steelers ranking: 19 (⬇ two spots)
Bills: The Buffalo Bills should be worried, folks, as we are definitely seeing the shortcomings of this team being exposed, and most of this falls on the shoulders of GM Brandon Beane, who really hasn’t done a great job in recent years at assembling good enough rosters.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThis could be a case of him thinking Josh Allen can simply cover up for the team’s weaknesses. With this latest loss to the Houston Texans on Thursday Night Football, Buffalo is now a full two games behind the New England Patriots in the AFC East, depending on what the Pats do in Week 12.
The Bills just don’t have a great team — the roster is flawed, the defense struggles, and they really don’t have a clear-cut go-to weapon on offense, so Buffalo isn’t a Super Bowl team and should again find themselves on the couch in late January.
Could we see some major change in the offseason when this inevitably happens? Both Beane and head coach Sean McDermott could be on the hot seat.
Steelers: The Pittsburgh Steelers were 4-1 at one point earlier this year, but are now 6-5 after another loss. And, with this latest loss, the Steelers are now in second place in the AFC North, as the Baltimore Ravens won again, so there’s that.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Steelers need a year where they finish with a losing record and do not make the playoffs, as this roster is just average, and there isn’t a franchise QB in sight. Pittsburgh, until they get serious about finding a long-term answer at QB, will continue to accomplish nothing in the playoffs.
Pittsburgh played the Chicago Bears close, which I guess is good for something, but the better team usually wins in the NFL most weeks, and that was the case here. I am not sure Aaron Rodgers playing would have made a difference in the outcome of this game, but that also paints a bleak picture about the QB situation for a franchise that once strived to win Super Bowls, not just make the playoffs.
The Steelers fall in our NFL Power Rankings, again.
NBCSportsBayArea.com
Bills ranking: 9 (⬇ three spots)
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementSteelers ranking: 19 (⬇ four spots)
Bills: I'm not saying I'm concerned about Buffalo's offense, but there are enough cracks in the foundation where you wonder if they still belong in the tier of AFC juggernauts they have been in for years. I don't think they do.
Steelers: I don't think the result would be different had Aaron Rodgers played over Mason Rudolph. There's just nothing explosive or exciting about this offense.
The Sporting News
Bills ranking: 9 (⬇ three spots)
Steelers ranking: 18 (⬇ six spots)
Bills: The Bills' defense is becoming a bigger issue against the pass after already looking terrible against the run. Now their offensive limitations are costing them when it's not about James Cook in the running game as Josh Allen is stuck searching for reliable weapons beyond Khalil Shakir.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementSteelers: The Steelers got a game Mason Rudolph and a dynamic overall offense minus Aaron Rodgers against the Bears. But they didn't finish well defensively after setting the tone early and that might be the story of their season.
Sports Illustrated
Bills ranking: 12 (⬇ seven spots)
Steelers ranking: 20 (⬇ three spots)
Bills' odds of winning the Super Bowl: +1200
The Bills are almost guaranteed to only end up in a wild card spot, as they lost again in Week 12 to the Texans. Buffalo is now just 7-4 and has some really rough losses in the 2025 season.
Steelers' odds of winning the Super Bowl: +15000
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementPittsburgh has lost the lead in the AFC North to the Ravens, and it's facing an uphill battle to get back in the playoff race with Aaron Rodgers (wrist) banged up. The Steelers are favored to miss the playoffs this season.
— Bill Wolcott is a producer who helps cover the Buffalo Bills, high school and Rochester sports in general. The lifelong New Yorker has been a journalist for 31 years.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: NFL power rankings knock Buffalo Bills down. What experts say
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