Bill Simmons ranks Bills over Skins

First, let me state two semi-obvious things: 1) I'm a Redskins fan, and 2) I don't think they're headed for anything better than an 8-8 final record. Regardless of whatever you think about the Redskins, that at least seems fair, right? They have a few tough games in the second half, but it's at least conceivable that they finish the season with a .500 record. Even a complete hater could admit that.

OK, now with that out of the way, let's address the subject of this post: Despite owning a 0-7 record, the Buffalo Bills, according to Bill Simmons's latest power poll, are better than the Redskins. How could the Skins, even if they've played slightly over their heads, be placed below a winless team that has also been outscored by the most points (80) in the NFL? It just seems wrong.

Normally, I wouldn't bring something like this up. But Simmons, for the most part, seems pretty levelheaded about how good most teams are (not counting his blatant homerism for the Patriots and other Boston teams, for that matter). Anyway, let's take a quick look at the two teams. (The numbers in parentheses are teams' ratings according to Simmons, for what it's worth.)

Teams the Redskins have beaten: Dallas (29), Philadelphia (12), Green Bay (8), Chicago (28)

Teams the Bills have beaten: no one

Teams the Redskins have lost to: Houston (16), St. Louis (19), Indianapolis (2), Detroit (22)

Teams the Bills have lost to: Miami (13), Green Bay (8), New England (1), New York Jets (9), Jacksonville (23), Baltimore (4), Kansas City (10)

The Redskins have the advantage in terms of wins, particularly because they've actually won a few games -- four, in fact -- which is, you know, kind of important. The Bills, again, have no wins. Still, the Bills have played against some very good teams and only lost to the Ravens and Chiefs by three points each, and to the Dolphins by five in Week 1. They've been a very competitive team, especially the last few weeks.

Was a breakdown like this really necessary? Probably not -- after all, these are just one guy's rankings. But how the Skins, with four wins, can be placed below a winless team, even if the Redskins have overachieved and have a bit of a problem at quarterback, is simply questionable at best. (By the way, I didn't mean to hate on the Bills in this post, so don't take it that way. And if you do, blame it on Simmons.)

Thursday night NFL pick

Here is my pick for tonight's game on NFL Network:

BILLS (+3) over Jets

After an awful first eight weeks, Terrell Owens is trying to salvage his season. Owens has posted three strong games in a row, catching 17 passes for a combined 378 yards and two touchdowns. Shockingly, over the first eight weeks, Owens only had a total of 281 receiving yards.

Unfortunately for Owens, tonight he'll probably matchup against shutdown cornerback Darrelle Revis, so other receivers will have to get open for quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, who has played average at best -- 63.8 quarterback rating, four touchdowns, seven interceptions -- though he has played better in the last two games since taking over for Trent Edwards. The Jets should also expect a full dose of running back Fred Jackson, who has seemingly returned to his role as lead back since head coach Dick Jauron was fired.