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The Buffalo Bills have an opportunity to take advantage of the NFL's new, relaxed blackout policy this upcoming season.

Instead, the Bills will punt.

The Buffalo News reports the Bills will not take advantage of the league's optional policy to avoid blackouts by filling 85 percent of the stadium. Previously, the NFL required games to be a sellout.

But Russ Brandon, chief executive officer of the Bills, told the Buffalo News things will remain status quo. Buffalo must sellout games in 2012 for games to be shown on television.

"We are not going to participate in the relaxed-manifest rule," Brandon said. "We are a volume-based business, and for us to be successful, we need to keep our ticket prices low and sell a greater number of tickets."

The Bills are well within their rights not to use the relaxed policy, and they probably won't be the last team to do so. But this is another reminder that the NFL, first and foremost, is a business. The primary point is to make money and sell tickets.

Buffalo did a great job of putting a competitive team on the field and believes it should have no problem with fan support. But it usually comes down to winning. That will be the biggest gauge to determine if Ralph Wilson Stadium sells out in November and December to avoid blackouts.

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Five nuggets of knowledge about Week 11:

Getting hot: The Cleveland Browns have another tough test on the road Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars (5-4), which marks another important point in Cleveland's season. The Browns (3-6) have a chance to get hot in the second half of the season as the soft part of their schedule approaches. After Jacksonville, the Browns face four straight opponents that currently have losing records. Cleveland has been competitive in nearly every game this season. But it's now or never for the Browns to start getting wins, pad their record and get closer to .500.

Disappearing act: But to go on a winning streak, the Browns need to get more production from their receivers. Former second-round picks Mohamed Massaquoi and Brian Robiskie have been huge disappointments in their second season. The pair has combined for only 24 receptions for 262 yards in nine games. Cleveland's leading receivers are tight end Ben Watson (36 catches) and running back Peyton Hillis (34 catches), both of whom have more catches than Robiskie and Massaquoi combined. Cleveland might want to consider using athletic backup tight end Evan Moore more frequently in the offense. Wide receiver is a major position of need for the Browns next offseason.

Strength versus strength: The Pittsburgh Steelers were picked apart by quarterback Tom Brady and the New England Patriots last week, but they get a much better matchup Sunday against the Oakland Raiders. The Raiders (5-4) have won three straight, but they did it running the football. Oakland is second in the NFL in rushing and goes against the league's No. 1 run defense in Pittsburgh. The Steelers have struggled mightily against the pass this season. But Oakland only throws for 198.8 yards per game. Establishing the run will be crucial for the Raiders.

The streak: Although it sounds odd, the Cincinnati Bengals haven't beaten the Buffalo Bills in 22 years. The Bills will try to improve to 10-0 in that span against the Bengals, who have an NFL-high six-game losing streak. The Bengals need this game to avoid further embarrassment in what already has been an ugly season. The game will be blacked out in Cincinnati because of poor ticket sales. With the teams a combined 3-15, there wasn't enough interest in this game. It also marks the end of a 57-game sellout streak for the Bengals.

Taking advantage: The Baltimore Ravens are struggling in the secondary, but that probably will stop against the banged-up Carolina Panthers. After facing a several top quarterbacks this season such as Brady and Matt Ryan, Baltimore gets NFL journeyman Brian St. Pierre, who has thrown only five passes in eight NFL seasons. St. Pierre was picked up off the street by the Panthers after injuries to starter Matt Moore (shoulder) and rookie Jimmy Clausen (concussion). The Ravens also have had the luxury of 10 days to prepare, making Baltimore a huge favorite.

The AFC North didn't win a game in Week 10, which took a toll on the division in our ESPN.com Power Rankings.

Here are the results:

Baltimore Ravens (6-3)

Cumulative vote: No. 4

Walker's vote: No. 3

Analysis: A last-minute loss to the Atlanta Falcons dropped the Ravens from the top spot to No. 4 this week. Atlanta is now the top team in ESPN.com's Power Rankings. This is about where I expected Baltimore to land, but I am surprised the New York Jets are ahead of the Ravens. The Jets recently needed back-to-back overtimes to beat the Detroit Lions and Cleveland Browns, and the Ravens won the head-to-head meeting in Week 1. I voted the Jets No. 5, two spots lower than the Ravens.

Pittsburgh Steelers (6-3)

Cumulative vote: No. 5

Walker's vote: No. 7

Analysis: Pittsburgh remained in the top five, despite a lackluster performance in a loss to the New England Patriots. It's obvious our panel saw the game as an aberration against a Patriots team which has Pittsburgh's number. But watching Pittsburgh up close the past few weeks, I have some concerns. I voted the Steelers the lowest on the panel at No. 7 because I don't like the way they're playing. The pass defense has been awful and the offense is too inconsistent. Pittsburgh has lost two of the past three games and its victory over the struggling Cincinnati Bengals wasn't very impressive. Pittsburgh needed a late pass breakup in the fourth quarter to hold on. The Steelers are 6-3, but they're still capable of playing better.

Cleveland Browns (3-6)

Cumulative vote: No. 22

Walker's vote: No. 22

Analysis: The Browns got a measure of respect in this week's Power Rankings. Despite suffering an overtime loss to the Jets, Cleveland moved up one spot to No. 22. I've been saying for a while the Browns are underrated in these rankings. It's hard to overlook their record. But the Browns are playing competitive football every week. Although the playoffs are out of the question, the Browns could be the team no postseason contender wants to face in the final seven games.

Cincinnati Bengals (2-7)

Cumulative vote: No. 28

Walker's vote: No. 28

Analysis: Cincinnati dropped two additional spots to No. 28 this week after a loss to the Indianapolis Colts. This marks the Bengals' sixth consecutive loss, which is the longest current losing streak in the NFL. Cincinnati entered the year with a first-place schedule and couldn't handle it. The schedule finally eases up this Sunday against the lowly Buffalo Bills (1-8). But there is pressure for Cincinnati not to blow this winnable game at home and avoid further embarrassment. This game likely will be blacked out in the Cincinnati area.