Opinions vary on what kind of season the Bills will produce this coming year … though nobody knows how the coronavirus will impact the schedule.
But after Thursday night, it’s clear the National Football League feels Buffalo will be in the playoff mix until the end.
For only the fourth time in the franchise’s 61-year history, the Bills have four national games on their slate with the possibility of a fifth and all but one are in the season’s final five games.
In Buffalo’s 2020 season, announced last evening on the NFL Network, there are two Monday Night games, Dec. 7 at San Francisco and the season’s MNF finale, Dec. 28 at New England. There’s also a Thursday nighter, Oct. 15, against defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City and a Sunday night meeting with the Steelers, Dec. 13, both at New Era Field.
The fifth possible national telecast is the weekend of Dec. 19-20 at Denver. If that game is slotted for Saturday the 19th, it will be viewed by the entire country.
OF COURSE, a tough Buffalo schedule is low-lighted by four trips to the Mountain and Pacific time zones and while that is mitigated by the Monday nighter against the 49ers and possibly the meeting with the Broncos if it’s a Saturday, there are still two late Sunday afternoon meetings at Las Vegas, Oct. 4 (4:25), and Arizona. Nov. 15 (4:05).
The Bills’ bye comes at an advantageous time as the Nov. 22-23 weekend precedes at least three and possibly four national telecasts sandwiched between home games with the Chargers (Nov. 29) and the season finale against the Dolphins (Jan. 3).
It’s also a tough season for driving to Buffalo’s road games as the only ones in that category are the Jets (Oct. 25) and the Monday nighter against New England.
AND WHILE the NFL presenting its 2020 schedule so early was optimistic given the iffy circumstances created by COVID-19, there are conclusions to be drawn.
The fact the Bills’ slate is so back-loaded with national telecasts indicates the league is buying into the notion that the AFC East is now wide-open with quarterback Tom Brady having deserted New England for Tampa Bay. To be sure, the NFL has a bit of a schedule out as the Bills-Steelers game could be flexed out of Sunday night and the Buffalo at Broncos game could be moved to a late Sunday afternoon slot on Dec. 20.
Still, only twice in their history have the Bills played even four national games, that was in 1991 and ‘93 when Buffalo was en route to its second and fourth straight Super Bowls, and played three Monday nighters and one Sunday.
There were two each Sunday and Monday night games for the Bills in ‘92.
Buffalo’s 1981 slate included two Monday night games and a Thursday and in ‘89 it played three Monday nighters.
But there’s also a message in the Bills’ schedule. Of the 13 seasons when Buffalo has had at least two Monday night games, it has made the playoffs 11 times.
Clearly the NFL sees the Bills as a strong contender for a postseason berth.
And Las Vegas agrees.
A recent email from a bookmaker set odds for the entire Buffalo schedule.
The Bills are favored 11 times, underdogs in four games with one toss-up:
Jets @ Bills -7½
Bills -3½ @ Dolphins
Rams @ Bills -3
Bills -2 @ Raiders
Bills +2 @ Titans
Chiefs @ Bills +2½
Bills -2½ @ Jets
Patriots @ Bills -3
Seahawks@ Bills -2
Bills -1 @ Cardinals
Chargers @ Bills -5½
Bills +6 @ 49ers
Steelers @ Bills -2½
Bills pick @ Broncos
Bills +2 @ Patriots
Dolphins @ Bills -8
You could argue that some of those lines could be a little wishful thinking. But the reality is, betting lines are the product of public perception and clearly, it’s more than the league which feels this will be a big season for Buffalo … if it unfolds in typical fashion and a standard time frame.
