The Buffalo Bills, in search of a sixth consecutive AFC East division championship and their first trip to the Super Bowl since the glory days of the 1990s, have a major opportunity to jump out to a fast start this season.

They’ll likely need to take advantage, with a difficult stretch in the second half of the season.

The Bills have about a dozen games that they should be favored strongly to win, with a handful that will be more difficult.

THE EARLY OPPORTUNITY

Their 2025 schedule features four of the first five games at home, including a run of three straight in Orchard Park. They’ll be tested immediately against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 1 on Sunday Night Football at Highmark Stadium. It’s a rematch of the AFC Divisional playoff game, which of course, went to the Bills after the Ravens won the initial matchup in the regular season. These are two of the NFL’s elite teams, with the last two league MVPs going head-to-head in Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson. This game is a toss-up in my mind, and it could have implications for playoff seedings all season long.

But after opening against Baltimore, Buffalo has six games I would put in the “should win” category:

Week 2 at NYJ
Week 3 vs. MIA (TNF)
Week 4 vs. NO
Week 5 vs. NE (SNF)
Week 6 at ATL (MNF)
Week 7 BYE
Week 8 at CAR

While New England is on the rise, Miami is still talented, Atlanta has some pieces around quarterback Michael Penix Jr., the Bills have a real chance to be 6-1 or even 7-0 through the first two months of the season.

TOUGHER TIMES

The schedule will likely become more difficult in the middle to late portion, with 7 out of 10 games on the road going back to the trips to Atlanta and Carolina. The rival Kansas City Chiefs come to town on Nov. 2 for what’s becoming an annual showdown between two top franchises of the current era. The Bills are 4-1 against Kansas City in the regular season — and we all know it’s happened in the playoffs. This is another game that could have a major effect on the postseason as Buffalo tries to finally earn the No. 1 seed in the conference.

Following the KC clash, the stretch continues with games that are surely not “gimmes”:

Week 10 at MIA
Week 11 vs. TB
Week 12 at HOU (TNF)
Week 13 at PIT
Week 14 vs. CIN

Miami is no pushover, Tampa Bay has been a playoff squad with Baker Mayfield at quarterback and Houston is a returning playoff team. The quarterback situation is a mess in Pittsburgh with or without Aaron Rodgers, but the Steelers are always somehow in the mix. Cincinnati is scary given their offensive weapons with Joe Burrow throwing to Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, and thoroughly dominated the Bills in the playoffs a few years ago. If Sean McDermott’s crew can go 4-2 in this stretch that starts with KC, they should be in a good position to make a push for the divisional title and possibly the top seed in the final month.

PUSH TO THE PLAYOFFS

Back-to-back road games at New England and Cleveland shouldn’t necessarily strike fear in the hearts of Bills fans, and then the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles come to town in one of the highlights of the entire season for the NFL. It will be interesting to see what is at stake for both of those teams in Week 17. A final home game against the New York Jets could be important for the Bills’ playoff aspirations, or a chance to rest starters, much like last season’s finale with the Pats.

I have the Bills finishing the season with a record of 13-4 with losses to the Ravens, Texans, Bengals and Eagles. Will that be enough for the 1-seed? That is one accomplishment that has eluded the Bills during their recent string of success under Sean McDermott. It should be a primary goal, along with winning the division, to make the road to an elusive Super Bowl appearance a little easier.

ROAD LESS TRAVELED

The Bills have only one game outside of the Eastern time zone this season (at Houston) and they will travel the 2nd-fewest miles of any team in the league, except the Bengals. While there are some weeks with short rest, the Bills don’t have to play on any holidays or head overseas for any international games. Travel weariness should not be an issue for Buffalo in 2025.

FINAL GOODBYE TO HIGHMARK STADIUM

This season is expected to be filled with celebrations of the history of the Bills at their home field since 1973 as they prepare to close the current Highmark Stadium and open their new venue across the street in 2026. The schedule makers got it right when they slotted the Jets to be Buffalo’s opponent in the regular-season home finale in Week 18. The first regular-season game at then-Rich Stadium was against Jets, so the symbolic bookend for the venerable building in Orchard Park just makes sense.

View the Bills’ full regular-season schedule here. 

Listen to our Andy Young and Kevin Carroll break down the schedule in depth on the latest episode of the Buffalo End Zone podcast here.