As of right now, the Buffalo Bills are sitting pretty during their bye week with a 5-1 overall record and the current lead in the AFC East.

For the most part, it’s exactly the type of start to the season that Bills’ owner Terry Pegula and general manager Brandon Beane had probably hoped for this fall after the unexpected firing of longtime head coach Sean McDermott back in January.

And, the adventure to reach their current mark under the guidance of first-year head man Joe Brady has been nothing short of fascinating.

On one hand, the offense and quarterback Josh Allen are humming along at levels hardly seen before in the history of the league, as Allen and Co. are averaging the most points per game of any team aside from the Detroit Lions through six weeks of the season at a rate of 32.8 points per game.

On the other side of the coin, though, new defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard’s unit has been one of the most disappointing groups in all of professional football midway through the month of October.

In short, describing the situation in Western New York as perplexing might be an understatement.

But, there have still been plenty of bright spots to highlight throughout the first several weeks of the 2026 campaign. 

Here are Bill ON SI’s six superlatives for Buffalo at the bye.

Overall Most Valuable Player: QB Josh Allen

Honestly, is there any other player to consider here? I think not.

If it weren’t for ninth-year veteran quarterback Josh Allen, who currently leads the NFL in touchdowns scored through Week 6 with—fittingly, given his jersey number—a total of 17 trips across the goal line (9 passing, 8 rushing), then the Bills probably wouldn’t even be close to the top of the the AFC and the AFC East division at the current moment.

In fact, it wouldn’t be too hard to imagine Buffalo being 1-5 or even 0-6 if it weren’t for the incredible weekly play of Allen on offense.

The former 2024 MVP is on a roll to start the 2026 campaign, and there’s reason to believe that he could even earn another NFL Most Valuable Player award once the season is all said and done later on this winter.

In addition to his incredible touchdown output, the 6-foot-5, 237-pound gunslinger has also tallied 1,504 passing yards, 240 rushing yards, and just four interceptions.

So far, Allen has put the roster on his back, but it’s unclear if Buffalo’s current model for winning is sustainable.

Offensive MVP: RB James Cook

In spite of his ongoing fumbling issues, outside of quarterback Josh Allen there’s no other player more important to Buffalo’s overall success than running back James Cook III.

The defending 2025 NFL rushing champion has seemingly picked up right where he left off last season as Cook’s (627 yards) currently ranked third in the league in rushing behind only Atlanta’s Bijan Robinson (641 yards) and Kansas City’s Kenneth Walker III (665 yards) through six weeks of the season.

Averaging 104.5 yards per contest at the moment, the former Georgia Bulldog is actually on pace to break his mark of 1,621 yards on the ground from one season ago as he’s currently on track to rack up 1,777 yards this season if he were to appear in every game and maintain this steady rate. Cook is also tied for second in the NFL in rushing touchdowns for running backs in 2026 with a total of six.

Simply put, the 5-foot-11, 190-pound tailback has been electric once again this season, and it’s clear he’s almost just as valuable to the offense as Allen is at this point in their careers.

It’s not quite the same, but Cook has continued to be an integral part of Joe Brady’s offensive attack, and rightfully so.

Honorable mention: WR Keon Coleman

Just as Cook III is on schedule to break his previous career-high, third-year wideout Keon Coleman is also currently en route to doing so this season for Buffalo.

The Bills have been without veteran D.J. Moore for the past two matchups, as well as during portions of other games this fall, but the unit still hasn’t missed a beat with the team’s former second-round pick out of Florida State getting the lion’s share of the load with Moore in and out of the lineup.

While it hasn’t been a massive amount of production, it’s certainly been a steady output as Coleman has recorded 19 receptions for 283 yards and three touchdowns, which sets him on pace for a solid stat line of 54 catches for 802 receiving yards and nine touchdowns.

If he can keep it up, then people might change their tune about a second contract being handed out to the 23-year-old Opelousas, Louisiana, native.

For that reason, Coleman needed to be listed as an honorable mention. 

Defensive MVP: OLB Gregory Rousseau

Much like with the aforementioned Coleman and Cook III, sixth-year veteran outside linebacker Gregory Rousseau is currently on a trajectory to shatter his previous career-highs in quarterback pressures, sacks, and tackles for loss.

Right now, the player nicknamed “Groot” seems to have gained an extra gear under new defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard despite almost every other player outside of Deone Walker struggling at this point of the season.

Rousseau has more quarterback pressures (39) than any other pass-rusher in the league according to Pro Football Focus, and he’s also second in the NFL in tackles for loss and sacks with a total of eight tackles for loss and six sacks, respectively, which is just two shy of his previous career-high of eight sacks.

The 6-foot-6, 266-pound former Miami Hurricane is on pace for a 2026 stat line of 60 total tackles, 54 quarterback hits, 22 tackles for loss, and 17 sacks.

And, astonishingly, given that Rousseau has those 39 previously mentioned quarterback pressures through six games, he’s also technically on pace for 111 total pressures this season, which is simply amazing.

Will he reach those lofty statistical levels? Probably not, but he’s still the Bills’ most dominant defender to date.

Special Teams MVP: K Tyler Bass

Veteran Tyler Bass had a rough stretch in 2025 due to a bout with multiple injuries pertaining to his left hip, groin, and pelvic areas, which ultimately required surgery to repair the ailments.

He missed the entirety of the season, and some fans and outside media members questioned if Bass would even be Buffalo’s starting kicker in 2026 after Matt Prater had a successful stint as the team’s placekicker last season. 

In the end, however, that wasn’t the case as Buffalo didn’t bring in any competition for Bass this summer for training camp, and so far that bet has paid off.

The 29-year-old is a perfect 13-for-13 on his field-goal attempts through six games, and he’s missed just two extra points all year. 

It’s been a nice developing story of redemption given Bass’ struggles with both his injuries and shaky past performances in big moments, so it’ll be interesting to see if his individual success continues moving forward after the bye week.

Most Outstanding Rookie: CB Davison Igbinosun

Although Davison “IGB” Igbinosun was a bit of a surprise pick by the Bills in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft this past April, the former Ohio State defensive back has been the team’s most consistent and promising rookie so far this season.

Now, that could all change moving forward given the possible incoming increased roles for fellow rookies Skyler Bell and Kaleb Elarms-Orr, but as of right now Igbinosun has been the best of the bunch from general manager Brandon Beane’s most recent draft class.

The 6-foot-2, 189-pound New Jersey native has started three games thus far, and he’s held his own for the most part as he’s recorded 27 total tackles and seven pass deflections.

And, given that he’s seemingly unseated fellow cornerback Maxwell Hairston at the starting position opposite Christian Benford, there’s no reason why Igbinosun shouldn’t be listed as the “Most Outstanding Rookie” for the Bills so far this season.

Top Assistant Coach: ST Coordinator Jeff Rodgers

Surprisingly, through six games of Buffalo’s 2026 campaign, it’s been special teams coordinator Jeff Rodgers—not the highly-touted up-and-comer Jim Leonhard or longtime NFL assistant Pete Carmichael Jr.—who’s been the best new assistant coach in Western New York so far this fall.

Rodgers has somehow helped revive the confidence of the previously mentioned Tyler Bass, and he’s also seemingly guided rookie punter Tommy Doman Jr. to a solid start in his young professional playing career.

And, in addition to having the kicking game in tip-top shape, Rodgers’ unit has also thrived in the return game this year as both wideout Greg Dortch and running back Ray Davis are in the top-five in the NFL in terms of total return yards (Dortch, 5th, 468 yards) and average yards per return (Davis, 2nd, 31.0 yards per attempt). 

It’s been an impressive start for Rodgers’ unit, so for that reason he gets the “Top Assistant Coach” award.