Sean McDermott, Buffalo Bills. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Getty Images)
The Buffalo Bills can be one of the better teams in the AFC this season. Will they make the playoffs again? Here is their game-by-game breakdown for 2020.
For the first time since the Jim Kelly era, the Buffalo Bills are the presumptive favorite to win the AFC East. With the New England Patriots losing quarterback Tom Brady to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in free agency, the division hasn’t been this wide open in over a decade. The Bills are good, but just how good are they? Can they win the division and finally host a home playoff game?
Buffalo has a great coaching staff, a talented defense and a promising quarterback in Josh Allen about to enter his third year in the league. The Patriots may have the better organization top-down, but Buffalo should be a playoff team for the third time in four years. Head coach Sean McDermott seems to have figured this whole thing out.
But the question is how many wins will the Bills need to have to ensure them of a playoff spot? Nine with the expanded field gives them a good chance, but 10 would be better. Will 10 wins be enough to take the AFC East crown away from the Patriots? Buffalo may not have the ceiling to go 12-4 just yet, but the Bills are certainly trending in the right direction.
Now that the schedule has been released, here is a game-by-game breakdown of how the Bills’ 2020 NFL season will inevitably shake out.
Weeks 1-4
Prediction
New York Jets
17
Buffalo Bills
24
If there is one game the Bills must win in the division to avoid embarrassment, it would be the date at home vs. the New York Jets. That’s not to say the Jets will be a bad team next year, but this is a the home game Buffalo is most likely to win. This comes down to Sean McDermott’s staff outcoaching Adam Gase’s. Josh Allen outplay his draft classmate Sam Darnold. Bills, 24-17.
Prediction
Buffalo Bills
27
Miami Dolphins
28
As with the New England Patriots, a season sweep of the Miami Dolphins just isn’t in the cards for the Bills. Hard Rock Stadium is always a tough place to play, even if the Dolphins aren’t the least bit good. Though Buffalo is more likely to be a playoff team than Miami, the Bills aren’t significantly better than them to pull off a stunning road victory in South Florida. Dolphins, 28-27.
Prediction
Los Angeles Rams
14
Buffalo Bills
27
When the Los Angeles Rams come to town, we’ll know a lot about what Sean McVay’s team is made of. The Rams look to be a team just on the outside looking in at a playoff spot in the NFC for a second straight year. Unless Jared Goff emerges as a sure-fire top-10 quarterback in football, this feels like a convincing victory for the Bills. They win by multiple scores. Bills, 27-14.
Prediction
Buffalo Bills
33
Las Vegas Raiders
31
The Bills need to go 2-2 in AFC West play if they want to be in a great position to make the playoffs. If they do drop a game at home to the Kansas City Chiefs or the Los Angeles Chargers at home, they’ll need to win one on the road. With the Las Vegas Raiders playing in a new stadium, now is Bills Mafia’s opportunity to steal a win from the Sin City Pirates. Bills, 33-31.