ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Here are my five takeaways from the Buffalo Bills’ 2024-25 NFL schedule:
1. The early part looks brutal.
Four of the Bills’ first six games are on the road. Included in that stretch are three consecutive road trips to Baltimore, Houston, and the Jets. That marks the first time since 2015 the Bills will play three road games in a row.
The Ravens and Texans figure to be among the more formidable opponents the Bills will face. The Jets are a mystery.
However, if Aaron Rodgers is still healthy when he faces the Bills on Oct. 14 and has developed the chemistry with his teammates he couldn’t because of the season-ending torn Achilles he suffered four snaps into the 2023 schedule, the Jets also could be a problem. Their defense should continue to be strong.
2. The Bills have reached new heights as prime-time darlings.
Granted, they’re scheduled for five prime-time appearances, which is two fewer than a year ago. But the first three will be played in consecutive weeks: Thursday, Sept. 12, at Miami; Monday, Sept. 23, at home against Jacksonville, and Sunday, Sept. 29, at Baltimore. Counting a Monday night game against the Jets on Oct. 14, it will be four prime-time games in five weeks.
Never mind how much roster turnover the Bills are undergoing on both sides of the ball. Never mind that they will be a younger team. The NFL still views the Bills as TV gold.
3. Surprisingly, the NFL chose not to put the Bills’ Sunday, Oct. 6 game against the Texans in prime time and instead have it scheduled for 1 p.m. ET.
The obvious storyline of Stefon Diggs facing his former team apparently wasn’t enough to convince the league this was worthy of being played in front of a national television audience.
My best guess is that the NFL is more focused on whether the Texans will, in fact, be as hot a club as they were last year with the uncertainty of whether quarterback C.J. Stroud can repeat the rookie magic he showed.
4. The closest the schedule-makers came to giving the Bills a break is between Oct. 20 through Dec. 1 when they play four home games in six weeks.
That stretch begins with a home game against a seemingly beatable Tennessee Titans team on Oct. 20. After that, the Bills are at Seattle on Oct. 27, return home to face Miami on Nov. 3, are on the road against Indianapolis on Nov. 10, and face the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs at home on Nov. 17.
After that comes the Bills’ bye, which, for the second season in a row, comes late in the schedule. The obvious benefit is that it provides players extra time to heal and refresh before the final six-game stretch of the regular season.
5. The bad news about the first three of the Bills’ final six games is that they are against what, at least for now, appear to be among the stronger teams in the NFC: San Francisco at home on Dec. 1, at the Rams on Dec. 8 and at Detroit on Dec. 15.
It should be noted that the Lions game marks the second of two where the Bills will have less recovery time than their opponent (Detroit will have played the previous Thursday night). The Bills also will be facing Baltimore on a Sunday night after having played Jacksonville on a Monday night.
But there is, at least for now, good news. Two of the final three games are against the New England Patriots, who figure to struggle after hitting the reset button with a new coach and quarterback, at home on Dec. 22 and at Foxborough on a date and time to be determined.
Those games sandwich a home clash with the Jets on Dec. 29. Saying the Bills could be wrapping up a fifth consecutive AFC East title in those last three weeks is hardly a stretch.