2024 NFL Schedule: Will the Buffalo Bills play on opening night?

In a bit of surprising NFL news this week, it appears teams were a bit surprised to learn that the 2024 NFL regular season schedule will be released next Wednesday, May 15. For fans, all that really means is waiting another week to find out. when the Buffalo Bills face the upcoming season’s slate of opponents.

The release of the NFL’s annual schedule has become another attention-getter, as it seems that almost anything related to a sport that resembles a season-long playoff tournament is easily consumed by Americans.

Although we will have to wait until next week, it is likely that part of the event will be stolen. That’s because we’re sure to find out at least a few specific matchups before the official reveal. Such is the case when it comes to marquee games – those being primetime matchups, holiday slates, platform-exclusive games, and, of course, the teams that will open the regular season.

Will the Buffalo Bills find themselves in the spotlight on opening night in 2024?

The Bills have become a more household name for the right reasons since the arrival of head coach Sean McDermott – and shortly after the appointment of Brandon Beane as general manager.

Following One Bills Drive’s selection of quarterback Josh Allen in the 2018 NFL Draft, the franchise faded like Allen. Upwards, steadily. Before Allen found his groove and proved the doubters wrong, you could count on one hand the number of prime-time games Buffalo had been featured in since we all survived the year 2000.

Looking back at the previous two NFL seasons, the Bills played a significant role in kicking off the league. In 2021, Buffalo traveled west to California, taking on the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday at 8:20 p.m. ET. The Rams entered the 2022 season as Super Bowl champions, and Buffalo was still the talk of the league after falling to the Chiefs in a 42-36 shootout the previous January. The Bills earned a resounding victory, 31-10 over the Rams in a game that seemed even more out of control than the score indicated. Buffalo has played six primetime games in 2022, and they were featured on Thanksgiving Day at 12:30 p.m. ET against the Detroit Lions.

Last season, Buffalo once again opened the regular season on the road in a prime-time game. This time, however, it was in New Jersey against their AFC East foes, the New York Jets. The Bills were once again among the hottest teams in the league, despite once again falling short in the previous playoffs. It was also quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ Gang Green debut — and the QB matchup was too good to pass up. However, no one expected Rodgers’ debut and season to only last four games.

During the team’s first practice, a porous offensive line cost Rodgers his season. Enter the mercurial Zach Wilson, who the Bills decidedly weren’t preparing to face. Once the dust settled, Buffalo started the 2023 NFL season 0-1 – losing thanks to a punt return to end the deadlock in overtime. In total, the Bills played seven games starting at 8 p.m. ET or later, four games in the 4:25 p.m. ET window and one game at 9:30 a.m. ET as part of the International Series.

It may sound a bit like Ground Hog Day, but the Buffalo Bills should be among the NFL’s elite again in 2024. We shouldn’t expect to see a schedule filled with games at 1 p.m. ET. With their first game of next season once again coming after a dramatic playoff loss to the Chiefs, will the networks compete to feature a hungry Bills team?

Are things gearing up for Kansas City’s return to Orchard Park, New York, on opening night, ready to show that their victory was no fluke? After years of facing the Chiefs in Missouri, with five straight games in Kansas City dating back to 2021, the Bills finally have the magic of the schedule in their favor – and will host KC every time they face each other this season.

Patrick Mahomes proudly told anyone who would listen how unfazed he was by the Bills Mafia and the playoff atmosphere in Western New York. The Kelce brothers stole the show from Taylor Swift. You can be sure that every Bills player and coach who was involved in January’s loss is out for revenge.

A rematch of last season’s AFC Championship Game featuring the Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens is of course in play, but don’t count out the Buffalo Bills in prime time just yet. Josh Allen vs. Patrick Mahomes is one of the best rivalries in professional sports.