Bills Central

Bills have incredibly favorable schedule next seven weeks following Week 1 stunner

Each of Buffalo's next eight opponents began the season with a loss in Week 1 of the regular season.
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen signals to running back James Cook during first half action against the Baltimore Ravens at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park on Sept. 7, 2025.
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen signals to running back James Cook during first half action against the Baltimore Ravens at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park on Sept. 7, 2025. | Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

There is typically no rest for the weary in the NFL.

But coming off a resilient win over the Baltimore Ravens, the Buffalo Bills may get a much-needed respite. And an extended one at that.

With Buffalo sitting at 1-0 and atop the AFC standings along with eight other teams, it will now enter the most favorable portion of their regular-season schedule.

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Weeks 2 through 8 were viewed as a stretch, even before the season began, as a period where the Bills may be able to get a bit fat while padding their record before a more challenging road late in the year. And now that Week 1 is done, things look even easier for the Bills over the next several games.

Justin Fields
Sep 7, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields (7) walks off the field after losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Buffalo’s next eight opponents — the New York Jets, Miami Dolphins, New Orleans Saints, New England Patriots, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, and yes, the Kansas City Chiefs each began their 2025 slates with losses in their respective season openers, cementing the fact that the Bills should be able to get on a roll leading into their Week 9 meeting with Kansas City.

Of that group, the Jets were the most impressive, going tit for tat with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Aaron Rodgers in a thrilling 34-32 defeat. New York’s defense struggled, but Justin Fields looked good at quarterback, displaying plenty of promise both in the pocket and with his legs.

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The least impressive team on that list was the Miami Dolphins, who stumbled over themselves throughout an embarrassing 33-8 defeat at the hands of the Daniel Jones-led Indianapolis Colts. In that game, Miami made Jones look like Joe Montana, while Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa turned the ball over three times.

Tua Tagovailoa
Sep 7, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) throws during the second half against the Indianapolis Colts | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

The Saints fell 20-13 to the Arizona Cardinals, the Patriots lost 20-13 to the Las Vegas Raiders, the Falcons lost a close one to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23-20, the Panthers fell 26-10 to the Jacksonville Jaguars, and the Chiefs lost to the Los Angeles Chargers 27-21.

Buffalo has plenty to be concerned about when it comes to the performance of its defense against the Ravens. But with the schedule lightening up over the next several weeks, they’ll have a good opportunity to get things corrected before entering the stretch run.

Bills' Next Six Games

WWEEK 2 (Sep 14): Bills at Jets, CBS, 1:00 pm ET

WEEK 3 (Sep 18): Bills vs. Dolphins, Prime, 8:15 pm ET

WEEK 4 (Sep 28): Bills vs. Saints, FOX, 1:00 pm ET

WEEK 5 (Oct 5): Bills vs. Patriots, SNF on NBC, 8:20 pm ET

WEEK 6 (Oct 13): Bills at Falcons, MNF on ESPN, 7:15 pm ET

WEEK 7 (Oct 19): BYE

WEEK 8 (Oct 26): Bills at Panthers, CBS, 1:00 pm ET

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Alex Brasky
ALEX BRASKY

Alex Brasky is editor of Bills Digest and host of the Buffalo Pregame podcast. He has been on the Bills beat the past six seasons and now joins Sports Illustrated hoping to expand his coverage of Buffalo’s favorite football team.

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