Seahawks 2020 Opponent Breakdown: Bills

Though the process was delayed a bit compared to a normal year due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the NFL finally released official 2020 schedules last month.

Set to travel more miles than any other team this season, the Seahawks will play out of conference games against the AFC East, non-divisional games against the NFC East, and six divisional games. In addition, they'll face two non-common opponents from the NFC North and NFC South.

Preparing for the new campaign, we will be dissecting each of Seattle's upcoming opponents over the next several weeks. On the heels of back-to-back games against Arizona and San Francisco, Pete Carroll's squad will face one of its toughest road tests traveling to Orchard Park to face the upstart Bills in Week 9.

Buffalo Bills

2019 Record: 10-6, Second in AFC East

Last Meeting with Seahawks: 21-25 loss in 2016

An underdog at CenturyLink Field, Buffalo took a 14-7 lead in the first quarter on Monday Night Football behind two Tyrod Taylor touchdowns, including a five-yard strike to receiver Justin Hunter. Seattle responded with three second-quarter touchdowns, as Russell Wilson connected with Jimmy Graham for two touchdowns and Christine Michael punched the ball in the end zone from three years out, helping grab a 28-17 halftime advantage. The Bills didn't go away after halftime, using a Mike Gillislee touchdown run to trim the deficit to three, but Taylor couldn't finish the comeback late with his fourth down pass to Robert Woods falling incomplete from the Seahawks' 15-yard line.

Season in Review: Led by a stifling defense and one of the NFL's premier secondaries, Buffalo raced out to a 5-1 start, with its only defeat coming in a close loss to New England. Sean McDermott's team improved to 10-4 heading into a pivotal rematch with the Patriots in Week 16, but once again came up just short in a 24-17 defeat, preventing the Bills from winning the division crown for the first time since 1995. Still, they earned a wild card and held the lead for most of their Wild Card matchup with the Texans on the road, only to lose a 22-19 heartbreaker in overtime.

Key Additions: WR Stefon Diggs, G Daryl Williams, DE Quinton Jefferson, CB Josh Norman

Continuing to build their roster around Josh Allen, the Bills acquired a true No. 1 receiver for their young quarterback in Diggs, who produced 1,000-plus yards and 15 combined touchdowns for the Vikings the past two years. Formerly a Second-Team All-Pro for the Panthers at tackle, Williams will likely slide inside to guard and provide a quality veteran to protect Allen in the interior. Defensively, Norman will reunite with McDermott, who served as Carolina's defensive coordinator when the veteran cornerback was a First-Team All-Pro in 2015. Adding versatility to Buffalo's defensive line, Jefferson will face off against his former team for the first time after signing a two-year deal in March.

Key Departures: RB Frank Gore, DE Shaq Lawson, DT Jordan Phillips, LB Lorenzo Alexander

Buffalo should return most of its offense intact, with the ageless Gore being the only notable loss from last year's playoff squad. Defensively, Lawson struggled to live up to his first-round draft status, producing just 16.5 sacks in four seasons before leaving to sign with Miami this offseason. Phillips might be the Bills biggest loss this offseason, as he produced a career-high 9.5 sacks and 16 quarterback hits, though Jefferson should help offset his departure. A reliable veteran leader who made the Pro Bowl for the Bills in 2016, Alexander announced his retirement after the playoff loss to the Texans.

Notable 2020 Draft Picks: DE A.J. Epenesa, RB Zack Moss, WR Gabriel Davis

After trading away their first round pick to the Vikings, the Bills still landed a quality talent in Epenesa, who produced 22.0 sacks in his final two seasons at Iowa. He will have a chance to start right away, especially after Buffalo lost Lawson and Phillips during free agency. As a compliment to shifty back Devin Singletary, Moss will bring some edge to Buffalo's ground game as a downhill hammer capable of picking up yardage after contact in bunches. After an excellent career at UCF, including producing 1,200 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns in 2019, Davis will compete for playing time behind Diggs in a new-look Bills receiving corps.

Prognosis: With most of their No. 2 ranked scoring defense from 2019 returning, including superstar cornerback Tre'Davious White, the Bills will be the heavy favorite to win the AFC East. With Diggs now in the fold, if Allen can take the next step forward in his development after improving his completion rate by six percent and throwing 20 touchdowns last season, they could be a dark horse to compete for an AFC Championship. Playing in western New York in early November can be problematic for opponents, as the weather can start to turn for the worst heading towards winter. The Seahawks traveled well last year, going 7-1 on the road, but this won't be a picnic playing in Orchard Park against a hungry, talented, well-coached team and could be arguably their toughest road game of the year.