When traveling NFL teams have some flexibility. Clubs can request one little curveball in their schedules.
If a team, such as the Bills, is heading a few time zones away out west, they’re allowed to request those games to be back-to-back. The 2020 season is an example of Buffalo having a chance to do that.
However, the Bills evidently did not do that.
Per Sharp Football, the NFL granted every one of these requests made by teams ahead of the 2020 season. Teams that did so were the 49ers, Rams, Raiders, Chargers, Cardinals, Patriots, Jets and Dolphins. That means the Bills were the only AFC East team to not want some of their West Coast games to be back-to-back.
It’s kind of a science that you can’t prove whether or not it works. Kind of a… to each their own. Advantage? Less travel. Disadvantage? A team does not have their home facility to work at… and they can’t go home and see their own families.
The Dolphins requested to have their meeting with the 49ers and Broncos back-to-back, while the Jets have the Seahawks and Rams. The Patriots have both LA teams, the Chargers and Rams.
For the Bills, they’ll have their work on the west coast sprinkled around. In Week 3 the Bills visit the Raiders, then there’s Week 10 at the Cardinals, Week 13 at the 49ers and then a final trip to the Broncos in Week 15.
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