Grading the Buffalo Bills’ 2026 schedule: NFL doubles down on Josh Allen with primetime games and competitive stretch
The Buffalo Bills’ 2026 schedule is here. How does it stack up? We analyze key factors and give a final grade based on what the NFL has put together.
For the first time in nearly a decade, there will be a change at the top of the Buffalo Bills. Sean McDermott is out, and Joe Brady is in. The Bills have made changes this offseason that show they realize the Josh Allen window won’t stay open forever, and they are looking to capitalize now.
Well, the NFL obviously feels the same when looking at the Bills’ 2026 schedule. So today, we are going to grade three key factors within the schedule and give a final grade. Lets jump in.
Key Takeaways From Bills’ 2026 Schedule
- Game on Thanksgiving.
- Game on Christmas.
- Three straight home games, Weeks 2-4.
Bye Week: B-
The Bills are looking to play a physical brand of football. That sort of football can tend to wear down as a season goes on, meaning the later a bye week, the better. With a bye week in Week 7, that’s one of the earlier ones you can have. Buffalo’s schedule is tough throughout, but it really ratchets up from Weeks 12-16, so I’m sure the team would have preferred a Week 11 bye.
Back-to-Back competitive games: B
In a perfect world, the Bills would play a “down” team before one of the better in the league every other week, but when you have a league MVP at quarterback, that is simply not going to be the case. From Weeks 12-16, the Bills play the Chiefs, Patriots, Packers, Bears, and Broncos.
That is a brutal stretch that will go a long way in determining how good this 2026 team is.
Primetime-standalone games: A+
The Bills play a whopping, seven primetime or standalone games in 2026. It starts Week 2 on Thursday night against the Lions, before a Monday Night Football game against the Rams, another Monday night game against the Vikings, a Thanksgiving night game against the Chiefs, a Sunday night football game against the Packers, a Saturday game against the Bears, and a Christmas game against the Broncos.
Final schedule grade: B+
If you’re the Bills, you would probably like to have a later bye week and have that stretch between weeks 12-16 broken up, but it’s very clear that the amount of primetime and standalone games the league has given Buffalo means that they project to be one of the best teams in the league, yet again.