Another week of the 2024 NFL season is in the books, and the Buffalo Bills continue to look impressive. This idea has been reflected in ESPN’s latest power rankings, as the Bills have jumped three spots into the top five to slot in at No. 3.
Buffalo is coming off a 34-10 win over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, with Josh Allen showcasing a blossoming rapport with recently acquired wide receiver Amari Cooper in the win. The team moved to 5-2 on the season with the victory and has a multiple-game lead in the AFC East.
The ESPN piece also had each beat writer circle a young riser on the team they cover. Alaina Getzenberg named cornerback Christian Benford as her young riser for his consistent excellence to start the season.
“Since training camp, Benford has shown why he can be a consistent and strong long-term starter,” Getzenberg wrote. “He has given up 3.7 yards per target as the nearest defender this season, tied for the third fewest by a player with 20 or more targets, per NFL Next Gen Stats. Among cornerbacks with 200 or more coverage snaps, Benford, 24, has given up the second-lowest completion percentage as the nearest defender (51.6%). ‘[Benford] knows what it takes, he works hard every day … like extremely hard,’ fellow starting outside corner Rasul Douglas said this season. ‘He studies. He’s just locked in, he’s focused.’”
Benford is fifth on the team in tackles with 31 and second in pass deflections with four. He also has an interception on the year; according to PFF, quarterbacks have a passer rating of just 60.6 when targeting the third-year defender, ranking 11th in the league in the stat.
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The biggest factor in the Bills’ success this season is the lack of turnovers from the offense, as quarterback Josh Allen has yet to throw an interception and the entire team has only fumbled twice. On the defensive side, they are tied for fifth with seven interceptions and fourth with five fumbles, good for an overall turnover differential of an NFL-best +10.
Buffalo will look to move further up the rankings with a strong performance in the Pacific Northwest this Sunday, as the Bills are slated to take on the Seattle Seahawks in a Week 8 clash.
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