Ranking the Best 5 Buffalo Bills Teams of All Time

The Buffalo Bills exit their bye week as the betting favorites to win Super Bowl LXI.

With Buffalo still seeking its first Lombardi Trophy, this 2026 squad has a chance to establish itself as the greatest team in franchise history.

As the post-bye push begins, let's look back and rank the five greatest teams in Bills history.

The Snapshot: This team is representing the 2020s, as I could have just as easily made the case for a 13-3 2020 team that was even more dominant offensively and went to the AFC Championship, a 13-3 2022 team that matched that squad with a franchise-best 6.13 yards per play and sent eight guys to the Pro Bowl, or even an 11-6 2021 team that still boasts the highest average margin of victory in team history. These Bills went 13-4 in Josh Allen's lone MVP season, coming closer to the Super Bowl than any other squad from this era.

Key Stat: An NFL-best plus-24 turnover differential (32 takeaways to just eight giveaways). The offense tied the all-time NFL record for the fewest turnovers in a single season (six interceptions, two lost fumbles).

The Case for Greatness: Allen was sensational from wire to wire en route to MVP honors, pushing the Chiefs to the brink in an unforgettable 32-29 AFC title game duel at Arrowhead.

The Case Against: Sean McDermott's defense relied heavily on takeaways rather than down-to-down dominance. When the turnover faucet dried up, they struggled against elite quarterbacks and finished outside the top 10 in scoring defense.

The Snapshot: The Lou Saban-coached Bills repeated as champions in 1965, finishing 10-3-1 with quarterback Jack Kemp winning AFL MVP and Saban earning Coach of the Year honors.

Key Stat: This remains the most recent champion in professional football to shut out its opponent in the championship game, with Buffalo smashing the Chargers 23-0 to capture the title.

The Case for Greatness: Buffalo sent seven players to the AFL All-Star Game, while four earned first-team All-AFL honors to anchor the league's No. 1 scoring defense.

The Case Against: In an eight-team league, Buffalo's offense ranked just third in scoring, suffered a midseason slump, and stumbled to three losses and a tie during the regular season.

The Snapshot: The first champion in franchise history led the league both offensively and defensively in a dominant campaign from start to finish.

Key Stat: Their .857 winning percentage stemming from a 12-2 regular-season record remains the highest in franchise history.

The Case for Greatness: These Bills outscored opponents by an average of 11.3 points per game before beating the Chargers 20-7 in the AFL Championship game. And they placed 10 players in the AFL All-Star Game, including six first-team All-AFL selections.

The Case Against: As with the 1965 squad, this team predates the AFL-NFL merger in an eight-team league.

The Snapshot: This 13-3 juggernaut featured eight Pro Bowlers, three first-team All-Pros and five future Hall of Famers in a Super Bowl campaign.

Key Stat: The Jim Kelly-led offense averaged 5.92 yards per play, which was the best in team history until the Josh Allen era.

The Case for Greatness: Thurman Thomas was league MVP and Offensive Player of the Year as Buffalo's offense produced its most prolific yardage season to that point in franchise history. The Bills scored 24 points in their Super Bowl XXVI loss to a historically dominant Washington team.

The Case Against: While the K-Gun reached its peak this season, the defense declined significantly from 1990 and actually became somewhat of a liability. They were also much less competitive in the Super Bowl than they were in '90.

The Snapshot: The most complete Bills team in modern league history fell one 47-yard field goal short of winning the Super Bowl following a 13-3 regular season.

Key Stat: They not only led the NFL in scoring, but these Bills put up 95 points in their two AFC playoff games before falling 20-19 to the Giants in Super Bowl XXV.

The Case for Greatness: This team had 10 Pro Bowlers, compared to eight in 1991. It came the closest the franchise has ever come to winning a Lombardi, thanks to a historic offense and a stout D led by Defensive Player of the Year Bruce Smith.

The Case Against: The 1964 and 1965 teams were league champions, while this team fell short.

The 2026 Verdict: Can This Team Crash the Top Five?

Of course the answer is yes. Despite significant defensive struggles, Buffalo's offense has been so dominant over a 5-1 start that the Bills remain on track for the AFC's No. 1 seed.

The Bills could easily end up with the MVP in Allen, and at least a few All-Pros among Allen, James Cook, Greg Rousseau, and Deone Walker. The defense has a top-10 ceiling based on talent, and the offense is operating at a historic pace with 32.8 points per game thus far.

If these Bills can continue on the current trajectory and win 14-plus games before making a run to the Super Bowl, they may be the best version of the team in history. If they win that game, it's a no-brainer. But if they fall short of a Super Bowl appearance yet again, we'll likely just be weighing this team against the 2024, 2022, 2021 and 2020 squads for the No. 5 spot on this list next year.