Bills Midseason Report Card: Grades for Every Unit at 7-1

The Buffalo Bills reach the halfway point of the 2026 season at 7-1, alone atop the AFC and holding the conference’s No. 1 seed. In Joe Brady’s first year as head coach, the offense leads the league in yards, James Cook is again one of the NFL’s best runners, and Josh Allen keeps finding ways to win even when the start is ugly.

But the record hides a real question. The defense, rebuilt under new coordinator Jim Leonhard, has fixed one old problem and created a new one. Sports Illustrated gave Buffalo an A-minus at midseason and called the defense the big concern. Here is FieldPylon’s unit-by-unit report card, what has changed from the McDermott era, and what the Bills need to do to keep the top seed.

The Bills at the halfway point

Team and player numbers from ESPN and Yahoo Sports.

A new era: Brady and Leonhard

This season started with change at the top. Buffalo moved on from Sean McDermott, who had led the team to eight playoff appearances in nine seasons, and promoted offensive coordinator Joe Brady to head coach, Bills On SI noted. Brady then hired Jim Leonhard from Denver to run the defense.

The defensive hire was aimed at one specific weakness. In 2025, the Bills’ run defense ranked 30th by allowing 5.14 yards per carry, while Leonhard’s Denver run defense ranked third at 3.87, SI reported. That gap had cost Buffalo in January. The defense allowed 33.2 points per game in its last six playoff losses, starting with the 2020 AFC Championship Game, according to the same report.

Unit-by-unit grades

Quarterback: A-minus

Allen’s raw numbers are not his gaudiest, with 2,027 passing yards and 12 touchdowns, but his value shows up in how Buffalo wins. The Week 9 game at Minnesota was a good example. Allen posted an 18.4 passer rating in the first quarter, with an intentional grounding penalty and an end-zone interception, then completed 16 of 20 passes for 191 yards and a touchdown with no turnovers the rest of the way, Yahoo Sports reported. He did it while being sacked a season-high four times with both left-side offensive line starters out. Our Bills-Vikings recap has the full game.

Allen remains in the MVP conversation, as covered in our MVP odds story, though Joe Burrow has taken the lead. We explained why in our midseason awards picks.

Running back: A

James Cook is the engine. He has 814 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on 169 carries, per ESPN, and the Bills rank second in the league in rushing. SI called him the reigning rushing champion. Against Minnesota, he was held to 33 yards on 16 carries before halftime, then finished with 31 carries for 107 yards and a score as Buffalo held the ball for 42:32, its longest time of possession in 37 years.

The one blemish is ball security. Brady warned Cook publicly about fumbles earlier this season, Spectrum News reported, after Cook lost three of six fumbles last season. In a playoff game, one fumble can undo a lot of good running.

Offensive line: B

SI described Buffalo’s line as one of the league’s best, and the run-game numbers back that up. But the Minnesota game exposed the depth. With both left-side starters out, Allen was hit 11 times and sacked four times. Our Bills vs. Jets preview looks at the line issues heading into Sunday, against a Jets defense led by rookie David Bailey and his 7.5 sacks.

Receivers and tight ends: B

The passing game ranks 12th in yards, solid but not dominant. Buffalo has leaned on short, quick throws when the offense stalls, which is how Brady turned the Vikings game around, CBS Sports’ John Breech noted in his report card, as cited by Athlon Sports. Rookie Ko Kiatu scored his first NFL touchdown in that game. For a team built around Allen, a passing attack in the middle of the league leaves room to grow.

Run defense: B-plus

This is where Leonhard has delivered. Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon wrote in October that the Bills had fixed the run defense that hurt them in 2025. In a 36-10 win over Baltimore, Buffalo held Derrick Henry to 53 yards and the Ravens to 76 rushing yards, the fourth time this season the Bills allowed 80 or fewer, The Associated Press reported. For a unit that ranked near the bottom of the league against the run a year ago, that is a major turnaround.

Pass defense: C

Here is the trade-off. A year ago, Buffalo’s pass defense was the best in the league. This season, the coverage has slipped. Against the Rams, the Bills allowed 33 first downs, tied for the most since 1991, and Matthew Stafford threw for 383 yards, the AP reported. Buffalo allowed 250 or more passing yards four times in its first five games, twice more than in all of last season. The AP also noted the defense had allowed 350-plus yards and 29 or more points five times, only to be bailed out by Allen.

Leonhard has been blunt about it, saying the unit cannot keep relying on the offense. Bleacher Report criticized the staff for rotating personnel so often that the defense has struggled to find a rhythm. SI summed it up: the defense ranks at or near the bottom in a number of important categories.

Front office: A

Brandon Beane went after the biggest weakness at the deadline. The Bills first made a run at Budda Baker, as covered in our Budda Baker story, then landed safety Amani Hooker from Tennessee, the league’s interception leader. Our Hooker trade story has the details, and Beane explained the fit with Cole Bishop in his comments on the deal. A ball-hawking safety is exactly what a struggling pass defense needed.

Coaching: A-minus

Brady has handled the jump from coordinator to head coach well. His in-game adjustments against Minnesota drew praise, and the team is 7-1 despite a defense still learning a new system. The minus is the defensive inconsistency, which is ultimately his responsibility too.

The race for the No. 1 seed

Buffalo holds the AFC’s top seed and the only first-round bye. SI called the Bills a virtual lock to win the AFC East. But the chase is tight. The Bengals and Jaguars are both 6-2 and, according to SI, have easier schedules the rest of the way, giving both a real shot at the top seed. Cincinnati has not been the AFC’s No. 1 seed since 1988, and Jacksonville not since 1999.

Jacksonville may be the biggest threat. The Jaguars own the league’s best point differential and loaded up at the deadline, as we covered in our Jaguars contender analysis and in what their trades mean for Buffalo. Denver, at 7-2 and on bye, is right there too. See our AFC playoff picture for the full seeding.

What needs to change in the second half

• Fix the coverage. Hooker’s arrival should help, but communication in the secondary has to improve before January.
• Protect Allen. Getting the left side of the line healthy matters more than any trade.
• Hold on to the ball. Cook’s fumbles are the kind of mistake that decides playoff games.
• Finish the run-defense turnaround. The Bills’ last six playoff exits came with the defense giving up big totals. The run fix has to hold against better teams.

Next up: at the Jets

Buffalo opens the second half at MetLife Stadium on Sunday as an 8.5-point favorite against the 2-7 Jets, per ESPN. It is a good test for a banged-up line against Bailey, and a chance for Hooker to make his Bills debut. Our ranking of every Week 10 game by playoff stakes has the rest of the slate.

Overall midseason grade: A-minus. The Bills are good enough to win the AFC. Whether they are good enough to finally win in January depends on how much the pass defense improves over the next eight games.

Sources: ESPN (2), Yahoo Sports (2), Sports Illustrated (2, 3), Athlon Sports, Associated Press (2), Bleacher Report, Spectrum News