The NFL regular season is approaching fast and the Buffalo Bills are coming in with lofty expectations. After falling to the Kansas City Chiefs once again in the postseason, fans are left asking themselves if this will be the year Buffalo gets over the hump. The difference this season is that they have the reigning MVP in Josh Allen. However, looking at the schedule it will not be an easy task. Especially if you are looking at the quarterbacks the team will be facing.
You can make an argument that the top five quarterbacks in the league will all be playing at Highmark Stadium this season. Of course, we have Allen under center but on the opposite side of the field the Bills will be playing host to Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Super Bowl champion Jalen Hurts, and Joe Burrow. That alone is a star-studded lineup where hopefully the home crowd gives Buffalo an advantage.
When you look at the numbers from last season, it does not get any better. They are facing the top three quarterbacks in touchdowns thrown last season (Burrow, Jackson, and Baker Mayfield) while facing seven quarterbacks who completed at least 65% of their passes.
A bright spot looking at the teams Buffalo is facing is that there is a portion of teams who will be rolling out new quarterbacks this season. The New Orleans Saints, New York Jets, Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Browns, and Pittsburgh Steelers will all have new faces under center compared to their week 1 starter from last season.
With Bobby Babich in charge of the defense for his second year now, it will be interesting to see how the defense handles facing these high caliber quarterbacks. Especially since the key to beating them will be getting pressure up front, which is the area of weakness for the Bills in the past.
Buffalo Bills 2025 schedule and quarterback opponents
Week 1: Sunday, Sept. 7 vs. Baltimore Ravens, 8:20 p.m., NBC
Lamar Jackson was named first-team All-Pro and finished second in the MVP voting in 2024. He’s a two-time NFL MVP, three-time first-team All-Pro, and a four-time Pro Bowler and led the NFL in passer rating in 2024.
Week 2: Sunday, Sept. 14 at New York Jets, 1 p.m., CBS
Justin Fields was the 11th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears. He went 4-2 as the starter for the Steelers in 2024, with a 65.8% completion percentage, five passing touchdowns and one interception, five rushing touchdowns, while averaging 184 yards passing per start.
Week 3: Thursday, Sept. 18 vs. Miami Dolphins, 8:15 p.m., Amazon
Tua Tagovailoa led the NFL in passing yards in 2023 and passer rating in 2022. He had the highest completion percentage in the NFL in 2024. The former fifth overall pick also deals with injuries, but an early season matchup means they are likely to see him.
Week 4: Sunday, Sept. 28 vs. New Orleans Saints, 1 p.m., CBS
Derek Carr just abruptly retired. They drafted Tyler Shough 40th overall in April and have 2024 fifth-round pick Spencer Rattler.
Week 5: Sunday, Oct. 5 vs. New England Patriots, 8:20 p.m., NBC
Drake Maye is a rising QB in the AFC East after being the third overall pick in 2024. He made a Pro Bowl in his rookie season as an injury replacement. His per-game averages are solid for a young player.
Week 6: Monday, Oct. 13 at Atlanta Falcons, 7:15 p.m., ESPN
Michael Penix Jr. is set to get the nod in Atlanta in his sophomore season after finishing 2024 as the starter, replacing Kirk Cousins. He was the eighth overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Week 7: Bye Week
Week 8: Sunday, Oct. 26 at Carolina Panthers, 1 p.m., FOX
Bryce Young really started to click as the 2024 season went on and he replaced Andy Dalton as Carolina’s starter. The former first overall pick has talent, but do the Panthers?
Week 9: Sunday, Nov. 2 vs. Kansas City Chiefs, 4:25 p.m., CBS
Patrick Mahomes has three Super Bowl MVPs, two NFL regular season MVPs, two first-team All-Pro selections and a second-team nod, six Pro Bowl selections, and was the NFL’s passing touchdown leader in 2022. He’s good.
Week 10: Sunday, Nov. 9 at Miami Dolphins, 1 p.m., CBS
If Tagovailoa is injured for this matchup, the Bills will see former Jets first-round Zach Wilson, who has beaten the Bills before.
Week 11: Sunday, Nov. 16 vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1 p.m., CBS
Baker Mayfield was drafted ahead of Josh Allen in 2018, but is on his fourth NFL team. He has two Pro Bowl nods in the last two seasons. He had 41 passing touchdowns in 2024 but also 16 interceptions and 13 fumbles.
Week 12: Thursday, Nov. 20 at Houston Texans, 8:15 p.m., Amazon
C.J. Stroud was the second pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and was named Offensive Rookie of the Year and earned a Pro Bowl that season, but fell off a bit in 2024. with every metric taking a step back in his sophomore season.
Week 13: Sunday, Nov. 30 at Pittsburgh Steelers, 4:25 p.m., CBS
Who is the Steelers QB? Right now it’s Mason Rudolph. If you read it tomorrow it could be Aaron Rodgers.
Week 14, Sunday, Dec. 7: vs. Cincinnati Bengals, 4:25 p.m., FOX
Joe Burrow missed most of the 2023 season with an injury and spent 2024 running for his life behind a suspect offensive line. He very nearly passed for 5000 yards anyway and finished with 43 passing touchdowns, leading the NFL in both categories. He would have been in the MVP race if his defense wasn’t the worst in the NFL.
Week 15: Sunday, Dec. 14 at New England Patriots, 1 p.m., CBS
The Patriots spent the 2024 offseason building around and in front of Drake Maye. By Week 15 in his second NFL season, we should have a pretty good idea if it’s clicking. (I think it will.)
Week 16: Sunday, Dec. 21 at Cleveland Browns, 1 p.m., CBS
The old saying goes if you have two starting quarterbacks, you have zero. Well the Browns have four potential starters, so your guess is as good as mine as to who will be in the lineup by Week 16. Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett are the veteran options with third-round QB Dillon Gabriel and fifth-round QB Shedeur Sanders.
Week 17: Dec. 28 vs. Philadelphia Eagles, 4:25 p.m., FOX
Jalen Hurts is one of the most successful QBs in the NFL. A late-season injury cost him the 2023 NFL MVP, but he was the MVP of the most recent Super Bowl. He’s a two-time Pro Bowlers and second-team All-Pro in 2022.
Week 18: Jan. 3-4, vs. New York Jets, TBD
Justin Fields signed a two-year deal with the Jets then they didn’t draft anyone in April, so it appears they are giving him a one-year runway to earn the starting QB job long term. He doesn’t have any injury guarantees in this 2026 salary, so New York won’t have financial incentive to sit him in Week 18.