It took CBS three minutes Wednesday night to promote one of the primary highlights of their 2025 NFL schedule: No network will televise more Buffalo Bills games this season.
On the initial schedule, the Bills have nine games on CBS, including their Week 9 meeting against the Kansas City Chiefs. The other Bills games on CBS are at the New York Jets (Week 2), vs. New Orleans (Week 4), at Miami (Week 10), vs. Tampa Bay (Week 11), at Pittsburgh (Week 13), at New England (Week 15), at Cleveland (Week 16) and vs. the Jets (Week 18).
“They’re very important to our schedule,” CBS executive vice president of programming Dan Weinberg said in a phone interview. “Every year, when the schedule gets released, we’re always focused on how many Bills games we have because they’re a driver for us.”
And this year, they are a particular driver in the coveted 4:25 p.m. window.
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Taron Johnson
Bills cornerback Taron Johnson celebrates an interception in 2022 against the Vikings at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park. The Bills have five prime-time games and four more in the 4:25 p.m. window this season. Harry Scull Jr., Buffalo News
The Bills are playing five prime-time games, but are showcased at 4:25 p.m. four times in their last 10 games (Chiefs and Pittsburgh on CBS, and Cincinnati and Philadelphia on Fox).
“We look at the 4:25 window the same way as we do the prime-time window,” said Mike North, the NFL’s vice president of broadcasting.
Last year’s 4:25 p.m. exclusive Chiefs-Bills game on CBS drew 24.3 million, the most-watched game of the season in that window.
“Nationally, the Bills are one of the pre-eminent franchises, and some of the best moments on ‘The NFL on CBS,’ over the last 10 years have featured the Bills,” Weinberg said.
Including national windows like international games and holidays, the Bills’ games are fewer than also-rans like Dallas (seven) and also-rans Atlanta and Miami (six apiece) – but to North’s point, the network’s collective respect for the Bills is by placing them in the 4:25 p.m. window.
The schedule has only three 100% exclusive 4:25 p.m. games in which the network has no other games in that window: Eagles-Chiefs in Week 2, Chiefs-Bills in Week 9 and Eagles-Bills in Week 17.
“Add it all up and it’s pretty clear (the Bills) are a priority for our schedule,” Weinberg said.
Quick Kicks
1. Road to 2026 draft. Preparations for next year’s draft kick into gear next week when the Bills will participate in the BLESTO scouting meetings in Marco Island, Fla. BLESTO is a scouting service that many teams belong to, allowing them to pool scouting intelligence.
“Once we get that information, our scouts in June, July and August will have their list of prospects to go through and during the summer months, while we’re all working remotely, we’re working on those evaluations,” Bills assistant general manager Brian Gaine said last month. “(The evaluations) may be in pencil because they still have to play the fall season, but we get estimates on who the top players in the country are and estimates on where the supply is at various positions before we descend on these schools in August.”
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CBS announcers Tony Romo, left, and Jim Nantz, center, are expected to broadcast several Bills games in 2025. Harry Scull Jr., Buffalo News
2. Draft room observations. The Bills last week released their video detailing draft weekend. Some notes: The Bills were cornerback Maxwell Hairston’s first formal interview at the scouting combine. … Hairston said during his combine interview his ideal weight was 188-190 pounds but checked into the combine at 183 to run a fast 40-yard dash (4.29). … Hairston’s top-30 visit to Buffalo was immediately followed by visiting the Washington Commanders (pick No. 29), so general manager Brandon Beane said the Commanders “were on my mind” to draft Hairston. … College national scout Mike Szabo had the cool job of calling the players on the phone to alert them the Bills were drafting them. … Beane revealed defensive tackle T.J. Sanders would have been “strongly” considered at No. 30 had Hairston not been available. The Bills traded up to No. 41 to draft Sanders. … Beane told cornerback/safety Jordan Hancock the Bills were “holding our breath” that he would be available at No. 170.
3. Spring league meetings. The NFL’s owners will be in Minneapolis on Tuesday and Wednesday for the spring meeting. On the docket to be discussed will be allowing players to participate in the 2028 Olympics for flag football and continuing talks on the tush push and kickoff.
4. Schedule thoughts. New Orleans and Tennessee are the only teams with no prime-time games. … The Bills play two games against teams coming off their byes (at Atlanta and the second New England game). … The Titans play four consecutive home games over five weeks. … Baltimore has two stretches of three consecutive home games (Week 5-8, which includes a bye, and Weeks 12-14) and of three straight road games (Weeks 9-11). … Other teams who play three straight home games (Bills, Cincinnati, Houston, Kansas City and Miami. … New England is the only team to play three straight road games. … Poor Brian Daboll. The New York Giants’ first four games: at Washington, at Dallas and home to Kansas City and the Los Angeles Chargers, and they don’t have their bye until Week 14.
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