After five straight AFC East championships, the Bills relinquished the division back to the Patriots this season. Buffalo still finished second and split their series with New England, but a middling to bad defense at times, along with a weak receiving group made for some up and down play.
Running back James Cook had a breakout season though, passing 1,900 total yards and 14 touchdowns. His stability as a runner helped anchor the offense throughout the season. And of course Josh Allen continued his usual offensive assault with 14 rushing touchdowns himself. And as long as they have him, they have a shot at winning games.
Buffalo Bills list of opponents
Buffalo Bills schedule analysis
The Bills will have eight home games and nine road games next season pending the announcement of the matchups for the 2026 international games. The AFC East will take on the NFC North and the AFC West, while the Bills will get the second place teams from the AFC North, AFC South, and NFC West.
This season the AFC East had it pretty easy, as they faced the NFC South and the AFC South along with the Dolphins and Jets in their own division. Next season should be tougher, as the NFC North didn’t have one team fall below eight wins and the AFC West has three above average teams. That uptick in opponents will also hit their biggest rivals for the division, the Patriots, as well though.
