Buffalo Bills’ 2024 schedule ranked as NFL’s toughest

Parity is one of the many facets that make the NFL as endlessly watchable and enjoyable as it is; the league is essentially designed to give lesser teams constant opportunities to improve, while stronger clubs encounter more obstacles as their success becomes more sustained.

One of these potential obstacles is the NFL schedule, which, given the complex way in which it is constructed, each year attempts to match a team against teams that were of similar quality to them in the previous season (in despite the parts of the calendar focusing on divisions). ). The formula used to determine the schedule is incredibly complicated and could itself be a 1,000 word article, but for the sake of brevity, just know that a team that was good the previous season will generally play a tougher schedule than a team that was. not good during the previous campaign.

The Buffalo Bills have established themselves as perennial contenders over the past few seasons and have therefore encountered their share of struggles over the past few years, but the team’s 2024 schedule may be the most difficult in recent years. The team’s opponents for 2024 have long been known, but dates and times disclosed during the team’s recent schedule release suggest a tough journey lies ahead; the team has an immediate short week (they are scheduled to play Miami on Thursday Night Football in Week 2) and three straight road games from Weeks 4-6. His Week 12 bye week is sandwiched between matchups with the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers, both of whom have participated in last season’s Super Bowl.

Buffalo’s tough schedule isn’t entirely unique, as every other team in the AFC East is also tasked with facing the talented AFC South and NFC West this season. However, it is the unique, non-divisive confrontations that make their misery more isolated; AFC East teams fill out their schedules this year with games against teams that finished in the corresponding place in the AFC West, AFC North and NFC North last season. Buffalo finished first in the AFC East last season and will face the Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens and Detroit Lions, who all finished first in their divisions last year, in 2024. These three teams still look like this season to legitimate Super Bowl contenders. .

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Simply put, this is a tough schedule; That sentiment was echoed by 33rd Team’s Dan Pizzuta, who ranked Buffalo’s 2024 schedule as the toughest in the league in a recent article for the outlet.

“The AFC East faces the AFC South and NFC West this season, which already pits the Buffalo Bills against some of the best teams in the league,” Pizzuta wrote in his analysis. “In these division groups, the Bills host the 49ers at home in this group, but will have to face the Texans, Rams and Indianapolis Colts on the road…Last season, the Bills were one of the best home teams in the league, with a record of 7-2 and a plus-113 point differential.

“For the remaining road games this season, the Bills have to travel to Detroit, Seattle and Baltimore. Those are three games against potential playoff teams in tough venues.”

The Bills’ schedule is objectively tough, but fortunately the Bills are an objectively talented team. Despite significant turnover this offseason, Buffalo’s roster is still centered around a supernatural quarterback in Josh Allen, and the team’s consistently strong defense returns nine starters. The team’s schedule is busy, but they have overcome tough challenges in the past and look poised to do so again this season; you can expect the Bills’ schedule to extend beyond Week 18 for a sixth straight year.