Ranking Every Game on Buffalo Bills' Loaded Schedule from Easiest to Hardest

To cap off NFL Schedule Release Week (yes, that's a real thing these days), Bills On SI has ranked all 17 games on the Buffalo Bills' regular season schedule by degree of difficulty.

Overall, Buffalo's schedule is far from ideal for a first-year head coach with seven standalone games including Christmas and Thanksgiving.

As much as the Any Given Sunday adage still holds true in the NFL, there is a significant disparity between the Bills and a number of their opponents. And as we know, not all opponents are equal.

The games are listed below from the perceived easiest to the toughest. In addition to the quality of opponent, venue, time of year and rest were all factored into the rankings.

We start with No. 1 being the easiest and No. 17 the toughest test on the regular season slate. Unsurprisingly, the New York Jets lead us off.

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen signals to the offensive line a play during first half action at Empower FIeld at Mile High in Denver, Colorado on Jan. 17, 2026. | Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

1 — Bills vs. Jets (Jan. 9 or 10)

Quarterback Geno Smith goes from the three-win Raiders to the three-win Jets, who seem like an early favorite for the first overall draft pick next April. If the Bills can't take care of business against Gang Green's motley crew at home, then Joe Brady may not be a head coach for long.

2 — Bills vs. Dolphins (Nov. 22)

The race for the No. 1 pick is arguably a race between two AFC East teams. As part of an organizational overhaul, the Dolphins have tabbed Malik Willis as QB1 for 2026. With Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle no longer in the picture, Miami has little to get excited about.

3 — Bills at Raiders (Oct. 18)

Sure, it's the second leg of back-to-back Pacific Time Zone visits, but the Bills should be able to handle a rookie quarterback even with Sean McDermott no longer pulling the strings on defense. The Bills have a way more talented roster than the Raiders, and this game will be indoors where Allen usually eats.

Bills Ed Oliver pressures Raiders quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo who has to throw the ball away. | Jamie Germano / USA TODAY NETWORK

4 — Bills at Jets (Nov. 15)

The biggest challenge for the Bills in this game will likely be avoiding major injury on the infamous MetLife Stadium turf. It'll be interesting to see if Jets' head coach Aaron Glenn is still in his role when this one rolls around in Week 10.

5 — Bills at Dolphins (Jan. 3)

The only sliver of an advantage that the Dolphins have over Buffalo this year is the hot Florida sun that beats down on the visitors' sideline at Hard Rock Stadium, and even that is motivated somewhat with the game being set for January 3.

6 — Bills at Vikings (Nov. 9)

The Vikings appeared to have made a critical miscalculation by letting Sam Darnold walk in 2025. They are the NFC North's fourth-best team with the division's fourth-best quarterback.

7 — Bills vs. Chargers (Sep. 27)

The Chargers coming east for a 1 p.m. kickoff is certainly advantageous for the Bills, and it would've been even more so had this one been later in the year. Until they win a playoff game with Justin Herbert as quarterback, Los Angeles deserves paper tiger status.

8 — Bills at Texans (Sep. 13)

Surely, the Bills won't let the Texans' defensive front dominate them for the second season in a row, right? Even with Allen being sacked eight times and intercepted twice, Buffalo had a chance to pull out a win in the final minutes of the 23-19 loss.

9 — Bills at Packers (Dec. 13)

Jordan Love is not, and likely never will be, prime Aaron Rodgers, and the Packers are good, but not great. The Bills, who owned a +85 point differential advantage over Green Bay last year, project as a road favorite for this one.

10 — Bills vs. Patriots (Oct. 4)

This ranking is based on the idea that the Patriots will regress in 2026. They'll be formidable, but not as good as the Chiefs, Ravens or Bears. Don't forget, they're still only one year removed from a 4-13 season.

11 — Bills vs. Bears (Dec. 19)

The Bears broke out as a playoff team last year with Caleb Williams leading the way. They'll have the opportunity to make a late-season statement against the Bills in the road in primetime. Also, beware of a DJ Moore revenge game.

12 — Bills at Patriots (Dec. 6)

The Patriots are certainly a formidable foe, but Foxboro has been anything but a house of horrors for Allen and the Bills since Tom Brady left town. Last December, Buffalo out-scored the Patriots by a 28-7 second-half margin to end New England's nine-game win streak.

Josh Allen, Dawson Knox TD — Dec 14, 2025; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; Buffalo Bills tight end Dawson Knox (88) celebrates with quarterback Josh Allen (17) after scoring a touchdown against the New England Patriots during the second half at Gillette Stadium. | Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

13 — Bills vs. Lions (Sep. 17)

While the Lions finished behind both the Bears and Packers in the NFC North last season, they still posted a winning record and Dan Campbell will have them ready to rebound in 2026. Being the inaugural game at Highmark Stadium in a primetime window, there will be extra pressure on the Bills to perform.

14 — Bills vs. Ravens (Nov. 1)

John Harbaugh is gone, but Lamar Jackson and other key pieces remain in place for the Ravens, who are the current betting favorite to reclaim the AFC North. After epic battles each of the last two times these teams clashed in Orchard Park, this one has the makings of another classic.

15 — Bills vs. Chiefs (Nov. 26)

Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid may have lost a little luster last year, but they're both back looking for vengeance and their career resumes speak for themselves. Until the Bills finally represent the AFC in a Super Bowl, they can't claim supremacy over these Chiefs, who will presumably be hungry for a win on Thanksgiving.

Buffalo Bills running back James Cook III escapes the attempted tackle by Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Charles Omenihu during second half action against the Kansas City Chiefs at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park on Nov. 2, 2025. | Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

16 — Bills at Broncos (Dec. 25)

Flying to Mile High for Christmas is no piece of cake. Although I believe the Bills are better than the Broncos, the away element makes this one an extremely demanding assignment on short rest late in the season.

17 — Bills at Rams (Oct. 12)

The Bills lost, 44-42, during their 2024 trip to SoFi Stadium, and this iteration of the Rams should be even better than that team. After coming up a few points short of the Super Bowl last year, the aging Matthew Stafford looks ready to make another run. Granted the Rams don't exactly have a rabid fanbase backing them, it doesn't get tougher than facing an opponent of this caliber 2,000 miles away from home.

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