NFL Week 1 Power Rankings: Bills have all the makings of a Super Bowl champion;
When I spoke with Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen this summer, he exuded confidence, almost giving off that I-know-I-am-a-star feel, which he is, but that tells us he thinks he has arrived.
That’s because he has, but this confidence seemed to be more than just about himself. Allen knows his Bills team is really good.
Potentially special, in fact.
The Bills showed in their playoff loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in January — I promise I won’t use the phrase “13 seconds” that much anymore — that they can play with anybody on the big stage. There were questions before that game whether they could do so — especially for Allen, despite his MVP-type season in 2021.
The Bills seem to have gained a ton of swagger from that gut-wrenching loss, which is rare, but that’s the feel you get from the Bills after spending time around the team.
They now know. That’s a big difference from thinking it.
That’s half the battle for teams to get over the playoff hump. Combine that belief with their talent, and that’s why the Bills will win it all this season. The Bills were my pick last season to win the Super Bowl, but the closing seconds in the loss to the Chiefs prevented that chance from becoming a reality. I still think if they win that game they go on to win it all.
As it is, they head into the season as the favorite in Vegas to do so this season. The Bills also open at the top of my Power Rankings, one spot ahead of the Green Bay Packers, who are my pick to win the NFC.
The Packers will be a different team this time around. They will still get the big plays from Aaron Rodgers, but the offense might not be as prolific without receiver Davante Adams. But that’s fine. The defense could be dominant.
Barring injuries, they have the best secondary in the league and have a young pass-rush star in Rashan Gary. They could end up as a top-3 defense, maybe even tops, which would give Rodgers time to adapt to his young receiving group. Don’t worry about Rodgers.
A Packers-Bills Super Bowl might not be the big-market gem the NFL usually craves, but it would bring a lot of intrigue, the young-gun passer in Allen against that defense and the future Hall of Fame player in Rodgers on the other side.
Bills will win it. For their sake, let’s hope they spent this offseason working on their pooch and mortar kicks to make sure 13 seconds never happens again.
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