Buffalo Bills have ‘forgiving’ schedule, says NFL.com
Upon finding out the Buffalo Bills’ 2021 slate, NFL.com thinks the team got, well, a pretty solid draw.
While we knew Buffalo’s opponents next season for awhile now, the order does make a difference. That was released by the league on Wednesday.
The Bills evidently have the sixth most forgiving schedule next season:
Strength of schedule: T-ninth lowest [opponents’ record in 2020: 130-142 (.478)]
Prime-time games: Four
Short weeks: Two
Buffalo’s opening slate isn’t exactly easy. The Bills begin with the reigning AFC North champion Steelers at home, then travel to face the upstart Dolphins before returning to Buffalo for a two-game homestand against Washington and the rebuilding Texans. Things get tough with a pair of road games against 2020 AFC playoff teams (Chiefs, Titans), but a midseason respite on the road against the Jags and Jets should even things out a bit. A couple of the most difficult opponents (Indianapolis, New England) in the second half of the season will come in the friendly confines of Orchard Park. The final two weeks set up nicely for the Bills, who will host two teams still attempting to find their way back to contention in the Falcons and Jets.
Realistically, when a team is talented, their schedule will look favorable pretty much any way you cut it. The end of the season certainly is a nice touch for the Bills, having three of their final four games at home.
However, the middle part of the year might prove pivotal because in a six-week stretch, the Bills only play in Buffalo once. That could be tough.
Still, others have also agreed that the Bills have a slate good for their own fortunes, such as ESPN. An analytical study via ESPN prior to the schedule release tabbed Buffalo with an even easier strength of schedule, the third-easiest.
Also worth noting in NFL.com’s forgiveness chart: The Patriots top it at No. 1 overall.
All of this, of course, is to be taken with a grain of salt. Teams can drastically change from year to year, so opponents that now seem daunting, might prove easy – and vice versa.
