A seasonlong goodbye to Highmark Stadium starts Sunday with a massive showdown. The home fans get to enjoy not freezing with four of the first five games in Orchard Park. Marquee opponents – and quarterbacks – make their way through, as the Ravens, Bengals, Chiefs and Eagles all come to town. Five games on prime time, and another four that start at 4:25 p.m. Those are just some of the highlights of the Buffalo Bills’ schedule, which starts Sunday against Baltimore. The Bills are gunning for their sixth straight AFC East championship, but their sights are set much higher than that – finally lifting the Lombardi Trophy as Super Bowl champions. Here is a game-by-game forecast:
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Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills will face the reigning champion Philadelphia Eagles on Dec. 28. Associated Press
SEPT. 7 VS. BALTIMORE
8:20 p.m. (NBC)
There won’t be any tiptoeing into this new season for the Bills, as the Ravens come to down for a massive playoff rematch in Week 1. This has “potential AFC championship game preview” written all over it. The Bills are 5-3 under Sean McDermott in Week 1. This figures to be a close game, and that should benefit the Bills. Baltimore is 23-24 in one-score games since the start of the 2020 season.
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PICK: Bills, 27-24.
SEPT. 14 AT NEW YORK JETS
1 p.m. (CBS)
New coach Aaron Glenn has quite the rebuilding project ahead of him. Justin Fields signed to play quarterback, but it's still unclear whether he’s a stopgap or the long-term answer. The lean here: It’s the former. The Jets’ strength in recent years has been their defense, and that should continue under Glenn, a defensive-minded coach. The Jets’ defense was beaten up last year, but it’s given Allen some trouble in the past.
PICK: Bills, 28-17.
SEPT. 18 VS. MIAMI
8:15 p.m. (Prime)
The book on Miami is clear by now. If Tua Tagovailoa is healthy, they’re a decent team with a pretty good offense. If he’s not, they’re an atrocity. In games started by other quarterbacks last season after Tagovailoa suffered a concussion, the Dolphins scored 3, 10, 12 and 15 points, and Miami went 1-3. When Tagovailoa returned, the Dolphins returned to respectability, but at that point, it was too late to rescue their season.
PICK: Bills, 38-27.
SEPT. 28 VS. NEW ORLEANS
1 p.m. (CBS)
Quick! Name New Orleans’ starting quarterback without asking Alexa. Couldn’t do it, could you? (It’s Spencer Rattler, by the way.) New head coach Kellen Moore has his work cut out for him. The Saints should be in the running for the No. 1 overall draft pick. The league and TV networks share similarly bleak outlooks, as New Orleans is one of three teams with no prime-time games on its schedule. Expect the Saints to play in relative anonymity.
PICK: Bills, 40-10.
OCT. 5 VS. NEW ENGLAND
8:20 p.m. (NBC)
The Bills will debut their “Rivalries” series uniforms in a rivalry that has turned completely around. The Bills are 8-3 against New England since the 2020 season, but even last year’s loss in the regular season finale can be thrown out because Buffalo rested starters and had nothing to play for. This will also be Stefon Diggs’ first trip back to Buffalo in a visiting uniform. Question: What will Mack Hollins wear into the stadium?
PICK: Bills, 31-20.
OCT. 13 AT ATLANTA
8:15 p.m. (ESPN)
Quarterback Josh Allen doesn’t have much experience against the NFC South. He has played Atlanta just once in his career, and that was at home in the 2022 season (despite throwing for just 120 yards and being intercepted three times, the Bills still won, 29-15). The Bills will be in their throwback uniforms with the classic standing buffalo on their helmets for Allen’s first road start against the Falcons. Look good, play good.
PICK: Bills, 35-20.
OCT. 26 AT CAROLINA
1 p.m. (Fox)
As it was with the Falcons, this will be Allen’s first road start against the Panthers. The Bills have been money coming off their bye week under Sean McDermott, with a perfect 8-0 record. Over the final 10 weeks of last season, Panthers quarterback Bryce Young threw 15 touchdowns against six interceptions, showing some promise. Still, McDermott has typically feasted on inexperienced quarterbacks. The Buffalo transplants will make this feel like Highmark Stadium south.
PICK: Bills, 28-16.
NOV. 2 VS. KANSAS CITY
4:25 p.m. (CBS)
You know the records by now: Allen is 4-1 against the Chiefs in the regular season … and 0-4 in the playoffs. The Eagles made Patrick Mahomes look human in the Super Bowl. How the Chiefs’ quarterback responds to that will be one of the more interesting storylines in the NFL this season. The Bills' undefeated season stops here, but maybe picking a Kansas City win in the regular season flips the script for the postseason.
PICK: Chiefs, 30-27.
NOV. 9 AT MIAMI
1 p.m. (CBS)
The schedule-makers finally listened to the pleas from Buffalo media begging for a trip to South Florida in November or December, not the furnace that is September. They came through with this spot on the schedule. The Dolphins continue to neglect their offensive line, which is borderline criminal considering what’s happened to Tagovailoa in his career. If you can bet on it, wager on Allen to win AFC Offensive Player of the Week after this game.
PICK: Bills, 31-21
NOV. 16 VS. TAMPA BAY
1 p.m. (CBS)
Stat that shocked me: The Buccaneers have won four straight NFC South championships. Of course, they haven’t gotten past the divisional round of the playoffs in that time, so the run of success might have more to do with the weakness of the division more than it does the strength of the Bucs. Still, quarterback Baker Mayfield has had a nice career resurgence, and this isn’t a game the Bills can completely overlook.
PICK: Bills, 28-20.
NOV. 20 AT HOUSTON
8:15 p.m. (Prime)
The Bills’ longest road trip of the season comes on short rest, which promises to make this a challenging game. A front-loaded home schedule comes with a road-heavy back half. This game starts a stretch of four road games in five weeks for the Bills. Only eight quarterbacks since the year 2000 have led their team to at least nine wins in back-to-back seasons to start their career, and Houston’s C.J. Stroud is on that list.
PICK: Texans, 27-24.
NOV. 30 AT PITTSBURGH
4:25 p.m. (CBS)
The Steelers won 10 times in 2024 despite leading at halftime just five times. They did the same exact thing in the 2023 season. It defies reason. What they can do is win close games, with a 15-6 record over the past two seasons. The only teams that are better in that time span are the Chiefs and Eagles. What’s that mean for the Bills? Go up big early. Don’t let Aaron Rodgers and Co. hang around.
PICK: Bills, 31-13.
DEC. 7 VS. CINCINNATI
4:25 p.m. (CBS)
Joe Burrow played at an MVP level last season, but he was let down by a defense that was truly horrific. The Bengals also didn’t have much of a running game or much protection for Burrow, who has been sacked 164 times the past four seasons, second-most in the NFL over that span. Still, something about this game seems scary. Until they prove otherwise, it feels like the Bengals have the Bills’ number.
PICK: Bengals, 31-28.
DEC. 14 AT NEW ENGLAND
1 p.m. (CBS)
The Patriots were favored in zero games entering the 2024 season. They are favored in 11 games entering this season. It’s reasonable to think New England will be better with Mike Vrabel … but that much? The Patriots do have an easy schedule on paper, but this isn’t one of those easy games. In case you were wondering what former Bills coach Doug Marrone is up to: He’s now the Patriots’ offensive line coach.
PICK: Bills, 28-23.
DEC. 21 AT CLEVELAND
1 p.m. (CBS)
Who will be starting at quarterback for the Browns in this one? Me? You? Odds are it won’t be Joe Flacco, who is scheduled to be their Week 1 starter. Bills fans should feel at least a little sorry for their Lake Erie neighbors. It’s no fun to be nowhere at quarterback, and that’s where the Browns have been for, oh, almost 30 years. An easy road trip for Bills fans should be a fun one.
PICK: Bills, 34-13.
DEC. 28 VS. PHILADELPHIA
4:25 p.m. (Fox)
Eagles coach Nick Sirianni, the Jamestown native, should have plenty of fans in the stands for what will be billed as a potential Super Bowl preview. The Eagles don’t have many weaknesses on paper. It’s worth pointing out they faced the easiest slate of defenses in the NFL last season, and they did lose their offensive coordinator (Kellen Moore took over the Saints), so it might be a bit tougher for them to repeat.
PICK: Eagles, 30-27.
JAN. 3/4 VS. NEW YORK JETS
Time, TV network TBD
The final regular season game in history at Highmark Stadium, which feels surreal to type. Of course, if this projection holds, there will be playoff football taking place in Orchard Park. Nevertheless, this should be an emotional game for many fans who might be coming into the current stadium for the final time. The Bills give them a nice after-Christmas gift with an easy win, setting the stage for another run at the Lombardi Trophy.
PICK: Bills, 41-14.
FINAL RECORD: 13-4 (first, AFC East).
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