The Lions entered Sunday’s showdown against the Ravens with the spotlight. Many pundits made the case this week that the Lions are as good as the NFC’s 49ers and Eagles.
As for the Ravens, they were being overshadowed in the AFC North by the Bengals’ recent surge. Not many were taking Baltimore seriously, thanks to two puzzling losses to the Steelers and Colts earlier this season.
It’s safe to say that the Ravens have regained the football world’s attention after a lopsided 38–6 victory over the Lions that probably no one saw coming. But is it safe to say that the Ravens will make noise in the AFC postseason? They’ll have plenty of competition with the Chiefs, Dolphins, Bengals and Jaguars.
Notice how I didn’t list the Bills? They might be pretenders after a surprising loss to the Patriots.
After another thrilling Sunday in the NFL, let’s examine a few narratives to decide whether they’re fact or fiction—starting with Tyson Bagent’s impressive starting debut for the Bears.
Bills pretenders after ugly loss vs. Patriots
Manzano’s view: Fact
Once again, the Bills struggled against a one-win team. They survived vs. the Giants, but they didn’t avoid the upset loss against the Patriots. What happened to the Bills’ team that defeated the Dolphins in Week 4? Buffalo has delivered three consecutive stinkers offensively, including the loss to the Jaguars in Week 5. With an inconsistent offense and an injury riddled defense, it’s time to label the Bills as pretenders. Buffalo gave up 29 points against a Patriots’ offense that was held to 20 points combined in their previous three games.
The Bills will likely find a way into the postseason, but they can’t be trusted against the best teams in the AFC until they find consistency with offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey.
