Oct 2, 2022; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) runs for a first down in the third quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium. Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images

Unprecedented Bills' team among NFL's 25 best since turn of century

Originally posted on Buffalo Bills on SI | By Owen Klein | Last updated Jul 16, 2025 7:55 AM ET

The Buffalo Bills have had some very memorable and excellent teams lately in the first quarter of the 21st century, but one stands out from the rest.

ESPN's Bill Barnwell made a list of the top 25 NFL teams of the 21st century so far, and the 2022 Bills are the only Buffalo team that made the cut, sitting at No. 22.

Barnwell considered the 2020 and 2021 teams for the list, but they fell short for not being as good on defense and having a worse record (12-7 overall), respectively, than the 2022 team.

From the 13-3 Bills' opening-day win against the Rams in Inglewood, California, to winning three straight against supposed top teams to Justin Jefferson's spectacular catch when the Bills played the Vikings to Damar Hamlin's cardiac arrest was the stuff of legends.

The Bills came up short in the divisional round that year, falling to the Bengals at home in a redo of the Monday night affair when Hamlin's tragedy occurred.

Buffalo had a massive pile of injuries in the secondary during that loss, and none may be more prevalent than having a fourth-string safety playing a lot in that defeat to Cincinnati. Still, it was a team to be celebrated.

"Pro Football Reference had the Bills as the league's best team that season, three points better than the 49ers," wrote Barnwell.

The 2022 Buffalo Bills were a team that faced one-in-a-million circumstances, and it'll be remembered for years, even decades, to come.