It’s nearly impossible to predict how hard a team’s upcoming schedule will be in the NFL prior to a season. Sure, you can go off the year prior, but in football, year-to-year, teams just fluctuate so much. Each season it seems like we see a worst-to-first scenario.
Instead of strictly going off of the Bills opponents’ record from 2019, Bleacher Report factored in the whole picture recently… looking back and looking forward. In doing so, the Bills actually have a favorable slate ahead.
B/R says Buffalo only has the 22nd hardest schedule in 2020. Here’s the explanation:
Opponents’ 2019 win percentage: .525
Opponents’ projected 2020 win percentage: .510
What makes it so easy: Despite a tough schedule based on 2019 win rates and a middle-of-the-pack sked based on projected win totals, the Bills land slightly below the league median because they face just four teams projected to win nine or more games and only two projected to put up double-digit win totals. They’re one of just three teams in the league with as many matchups with teams projected to win seven or fewer games as with those projected to win nine or more.
There are few obvious highs or lows in a schedule that contains no deadly stretches.
B/R makes note of it, but based strictly on last season, the Bills actually do have a difficult series of opponents. Based on 2019 alone, Buffalo will have the fifth-hardest schedule next season. The Bills are in a three-way tie for fifth, along with the Lions and Falcons. Looking back on 2019, Buffalo’s opponents gave them the NFL’s 26th-hardest schedule to navigate.
That’s a big flip… one that’s certainly welcomed.
And it gets even better. According to B/R, the Bills have the easiest schedule in the AFC East, edging out the Dolphins (20), Patriots (11) and Jets (4).
Here’s the Bills’ full upcoming 2020 schedule:
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