Week 7 was a well-timed bye for the Buffalo Bills. They're off to a 5-1 start, but they've been playing in multiple tight games. That's primarily been due to their defensive shortcomings.

Buffalo is currently first in the league in points scored, but their defense is 30th in points surrendered. They have been able to win despite this, but they hopefully found some answers during the bye week.

The Bills also saw their stock rise despite not playing. With the previously undefeated Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers both losing, Buffalo is climbing up many NFL power rankings. Let's check out where they stand with our weekly roundup.

Ranking: 1 | Last week: 3

Connor Orr moved Buffalo up to No. 1, due to two of the undefeated teams losing. The Bills now have a chance to get fully healthy, but they also have a couple of tough games ahead of them with the Baltimore Ravens and Minnesota Vikings up next.

"Coming off the bye, the directive for Buffalo was simple: improve ball security, weaponize this defense and try to keep Josh Allen packed in a sheet of ice like a fish purchased from Pike’s Market to help him absorb a massive stretch of games in which he will have to be Superman," Orr wrote.

ESPN

Ranking: 2 | Last week: 3

ESPN picked the best offseason addition for each team and for the Bills, it was DJ Moore. Nick Suss said they have survived without him as he's dealing with a shoulder injury, but added that Moore takes the offense to another level when he's on the field. That's encouraging since he has a chance to be back in Week 8.

"No player this season is averaging more yards per route run (2.47) with as deep of an average depth of target (15.9 yards) as Moore. He was acquired from the Bears for a 2026 second-round pick this offseason," Suss wrote.

The Athletic

Ranking: 1 | Last week: 3

Chad Graff and Josh Kendall of The Athletic moved Buffalo up two spots as well, giving them the No. 1 position. Still, they're concerned about the pass defense, which has been suspect all season. They did bring back Tre'Davious White, which should help, but won't fix everything.

"There was hope for the Bills’ defense after they hired Jim Leonhard to lead the unit. But six games into the season, Buffalo has the fourth-worst pass defense in the league based on EPA per dropback and the third-worst defense overall. They’ve allowed more than 250 passing yards in five of six games this season,"

Ranking: 1 | Last week: 4

Kristopher Knox says the Bills needed the bye week as they have been fighting to win one-score games to start the season. This break could be exactly what they need to get the defense back on track, because as he said, winning with a porous defense is not sustainable.

"Allen and the offense have been more than capable of offsetting that suspect defense when playing mostly mistake-free football. However, the Bills' early-season formula may not be sustainable against top-tier teams in January," Knox wrote.

Ranking: 2 | Last week: 4

Pete Prisco ranks Buffalo second overall, but like most analysts, he's worried about the defense. There's a huge test coming up against Lamar Jackson, which is a chance for Jim Leonhard and his unit to prove themselves worthy.

"They come off the bye with a big one against the Ravens, who should have Lamar Jackson back. The defense has to be better than it was before the bye," Prisco wrote.