Ryan Fitzpatrick's Three Reasons for Picking Buffalo Bills to Reach Super Bowl LXI

Ryan Fitzpatrick is officially a Buffalo Bills' season ticket holder for the new Highmark Stadium opening this season.

More than that, Fitzpatrick is a true BILL-iever.

The retired 17-year NFL veteran quarterback, who coined the term FitzMagic when he played with the Bills from 2009 through 2012, has remained intimately connected to the Bills Mafia fanbase.

In 2026, Fitzpatrick believes Buffalo is the favorite to win the AFC and earn a spot in Super Bowl LXI. Returning for another season an on-site analyst for Prime Video's Thursday Night Football package, the heavily-bearded Fitzpatrick announced his pick to emerge from the AFC while kicking off July with a Rich Eisen Show appearance.

Dec 21, 2023; Inglewood, California, USA; Amazon Prime Thursday Night Football analyst Ryan Fitzpatrick during the game between the Los Angeles Rams and the New Orleans Saints SoFi Stadium. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

"I'm so biased with this question always and I played on a bunch of different AFC teams and my answer is, four years in a row now, is the Buffalo Bills," said the 43-year-old Fitzpatrick.

Here are three reasons why the Harvard product believes that the Bills will advance to Super Bowl LXI in Inglewood.

The Josh Allen advantage

For Fitzpatrick, the quarterback is the underlying basis for his Bills' 2026 prediction.

The 30-year-old Allen enters his ninth pro season as a five-time NFL MVP finalist after establishing himself as arguably the most exciting player in football.

"I just think with Josh Allen as the quarterback, you have to go in as the favorite in the AFC if you're the Buffalo Bills," said Fitzpatrick.

Since Allen established himself as QB1, the Bills have made the playoffs seven years in a row. They also posted seven straight double-digit regular season win totals.

Since 2020, the Bills are 73-27 in regular season games. That .730 win percentage leads all NFL teams over that span. Including the playoffs, Allen became the fastest player in history to record 300 total touchdowns.

Bills quarterback Josh Allen looks downfield | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Joe Brady effect

The Bills cut ties with defensive-minded head coach Sean McDermott after nine seasons of failing to reach the Big Game.

As a replacement, Buffalo promoted 36-year-old offensive coordinator Joe Brady in an apparent attempt to change the vibes at One Bills Drive. We wrote about the possibility of a Joe Brady jolt when Sports Illustrated senior reporter Albert Breer touched on the topic in a mailbag last month.

"What is it gonna look like with Joe Brady? we knew what it was with McDermott for so long. they were so successful with him," said Fitzpatrick. "Are they more of a loose team with a better vibe? Does that help them? Can we get the ball down the field a little bit more as an offense?"

There's certainly merit to the idea that the Bills offense will open up the downfield passing game with Brady in charge. McDermott had a reputation for employing an overly conservative style on offense at times.

DJ Moore's arrival boosts Bills' offense

The Bills lined up without a prototypical WR1 each of the past two seasons, but the trade for DJ Moore changes that in 2026.

Moore, a 2018 first-round draft pick, is a proven producer who can win at all levels of the defense. He has four seasons of at least 1,150 receiving yards to his credit, and his ability to stretch the field as a boundary receiver is something the Bills' offense has lacked recently.

"I'm really excited to see DJ Moore and what that means to this offense," said Fitzpatrick.

Allen has already publicly praised Moore's work ethic as we mentioned in a story on the wide receiver's "smooth" ongoing transition.

"It's funny, like watching him when he was in Chicago, the only things I heard about him, because watching him sometimes you weren't sure with his body language and his attitude sometimes, but from coaches and players it was like this dude is the hardest working guy. He never misses a practice. He's a great team guy and so to now plug him into Buffalo and you've already heard Josh Allen glowing about him," said Fitzpatrick.

Chicago Bears wide receiver DJ Moore (2) signals for a first down after making a reception against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, January 7, 2024, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

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