Where Buffalo Bills land in strength of schedule rankings for 2025 NFL season

Not only are the Buffalo Bills the favorite in the AFC East going into 2025, they're also one of the teams expected to vie with the Kansas City Chiefs for the conference crown.

First things first, the Bills have to navigate the regular season. The good news is, their schedule is quite favorable in terms of opponents' strength.

In an article ranking the strength of schedule for all 32 teams in the NFL for 2025 using projected win totals from Las Vegas, the Bills have the fifth-easiest schedule in the NFL, according to Warren Sharp of Sharp Football Analysis.

When it comes to specifically AFC squads, Buffalo has the second-easiest behind only the New England Patriots.

Calculating strength of schedule based on projected win totals is the best method. The other is using win totals from the previous season, but those don't really take into account offseason acquisitions that could make a team better or worse.

Josh Allen vs. Chief — Jan 26, 2025; Kansas City, MO, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) rushes the ball past Kansas City Chiefs defensive end George Karlaftis (56) during the second half in the AFC Championship game | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Bills' ranking is a far cry from where they were in 2024, when Buffalo sported the 10th-toughest schedule based on projected win totals.

Ahead of the full schedule release on May 14, we know who the Bills' home and road opponents will be. The lists are as follows:

Home opponents: Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Cincinnati Bengals, Baltimore Ravens, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles.

Road opponents: Dolphins, Patriots, Jets, Pittsburgh Steelers, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Cleveland Browns and Houston Texans.

Of the Bills' 14 2025 opponents, only six — the Ravens, Chiefs, Eagles, Buccaneers, Texans and Steelers — made the playoffs. Teams like the Dolphins, Patriots and Bengals, however, could improve, so the schedule may not be as easy as it looks initially.

Regardless, it's pretty surprising to see the Bills have such a favorable slate considering they're playing a first-place schedule after finishing tops in the AFC East in 2024.

Highmark Stadium remains lit hours after the Buffalo Bills season was wrapped up with their home loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in Orchard Park on Jan. 22. | Tina MacIntyre-Yee /Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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