During July, the Last Word On Sports NFL department will be analyzing the schedules of every team in the NFL and ranking each game in order of difficulty (with one being the most difficult). This series will be split up into the eight most difficult games (ranked 1-8) and the eight easiest games (ranked 9-16) for each team. In this article, the Buffalo Bills easiest games are the focus.
Buffalo Bills Easiest Games in 2016
9. Week 5 at Los Angeles Rams
You have to go back to December 15th, 1974 to find the last time the Bills played the Rams franchise at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. O.J. Simpson rushed for 73 yards that day in his return to the venue he played at collegiately for USC. But it wasn’t enough as Buffalo fell 19-14.
Fast forward to the present and you have a hugely important road game that the Bills should fancy their chances in. Rams rookie quarterback Jared Goff will be just five games into his pro career (assuming he’s named the week 1 starter). And the team did have some free agency losses in the secondary including Janoris Jenkins and Rodney McLeod.
That said, LA boasts a fearsome defensive front. Aaron Donald comes into his third NFL season as one of the more highly touted interior defenders in the league. Defensive end William Hayes is similarly impressive on the perimeter. Needless to say, players such as Richie Incognito and Cordy Glenn will earn the huge new deals they signed during the off-season if they can slow down this unit.
10. Week 17 at New York Jets
It’s very possible that the Bills regular season finale at MetLife Stadium against the Jets could determine their postseason fate. That, in turn, could be the difference between Rex Ryan remaining as the team’s head coach beyond 2016. Owner Terry Pegula has been fairly open about what he expects out of this season. So this game definitely has the potential of being make or break.
There remains uncertainty at the quarterback position for Gang Green. But by the time these two face off in week 17, that situation should have ironed itself out for better or worse. Jets fans continue to hope the team can get a new deal done with Ryan Fitzpatrick. Because the prospect of Geno Smith as a starter is frightening indeed.
11. Week 2 vs New York Jets
Speaking of those Jets, they’re the first home opponent for the Bills in 2016. The two will be the first to appear on CBS and NFL Network‘s Thursday Night Football coverage this season. And there’s added historical significance to this game in that it will be the first in NFL history to be live-streamed on Twitter.
For the Bills, this is about as must win as it gets. Three of the team’s first five are on the road and their only other home game is against an Arizona Cardinals team that played in the NFC title game last year. That sentiment will be ratcheted up even more if Fitzpatrick decides to hold out.
12. Week 7 at Miami Dolphins
Only the Jets and the Patriots have more all-time meetings against the Bills than the Dolphins. The inter-division rivalry doesn’t have the spice it once had when Jim Kelly and Dan Marino were the quarterbacks. But Miami is one of the few teams that Buffalo has been able to get the better of on a regular basis in recent years.
Since 2012, the Bills enjoy a 6-2 record against their AFC East foes from the Sunshine State. That includes winning two of the last three at Sun Life Stadium. Last year, Buffalo swept the season series and routed Miami 41-14 when they played in South Florida during week 3.
A few former Bills have made the move to Miami in the off-season. The most prominent of these players is defensive end Mario Williams. The four-time Pro Bowler was released by the team after a subpar 2015 where he registered just five sacks. He’ll attempt to fill the void left by Olivier Vernon who signed one of the more lucrative deals of free agency with the Giants.
13. Week 12 vs Jacksonville Jaguars
Last year, these two teams squared off in London. It was one of the more bizarre games of the NFL season.
The Jags jumped out to a 27-3 lead in the second quarter after capitalizing on some downright shambolic quarterback play from E.J. Manuel. But the embattled signal caller played his part in a huge second half comeback. He threw for two touchdowns and the Bills also got a late pick six from Corey Graham to take a 31-27 fourth quarter advantage. Then Blake Bortles led his team down the field, throwing a touchdown pass to Allen Hurns with 2:16 left in the game. Jacksonville would hold on 34-31.
This year, the Bills welcome the Jaguars to Ralph Wilson Stadium for the first time since 2012. The visitors are looked at as a potential dark horse in the AFC South after a hitting it out of the park in free agency. Notable additions include defensive end Malik Jackson from the Super Bowl 50 champion Broncos and running back Chris Ivory. The latter had the first 1,000+ rushing yard season of his six-year career with the Jets in 2015.
This is one of those games where turnovers will likely determine who comes out on top. If the Bills stay focused and limit miscues while forcing the Jags into them, they should be all right in this game.
14. Week 6 vs San Francisco 49ers
Current Bills offensive coordinator Greg Roman will face his former team for the first time when the 49ers come to town on October 16th. For the team as a whole and, in particular, quarterback Colin Kaepernick, it has been far from smooth sailing since Roman and Jim Harbaugh departed. The club went 5-11 last year and pulled the plug on head coach Jim Tomsula after just a year.
For Kaepernick, he suffered the ignominious distinction of being benched in favor of Blaine Gabbert. This happened after an ineffectual performance in a 27-6 loss to the Rams in week 8. Kaepernick threw for 162 yards, completed 48.2 percent of his passes and finished with a quarterback rating of 59.2.
Will Bills fans see Kaepernick as a potential Chip Kelly reclamation project in week 6? That question will probably get answered as the preseason and early part of the regular season unfolds.
15. Week 16 vs Miami Dolphins
The majority of Buffalo’s hearty fan base is probably hoping that wintry conditions envelop the Ralph for this one. After all, a Bills home game in December against a warm weather team seems like quite the home field advantage on the surface. And what better spectacle than a snow game on Christmas Eve?
The conditions could warrant the Bills ground game to take this team to the finish line. The running back corps of LeSean McCoy, a leaner (hopefully) Karlos Williams, Mike Gillislee and rookie Jonathan Williams will have to step up. And defensively, this game is a huge opportunity for rookies such as Shaq Lawson, Reggie Ragland and Adolphus Washington to make their mark.
The concluding portion of the schedule is extremely advantageous. If the Bills can enter this game with eight wins at a minimum, a playoff berth could be on the offer if they can run the table.
16. Week 15 vs Cleveland Browns
If you’ve been reading our articles for this series (you better be!), you will certainly notice a trend. The Cleveland Browns are consistently being rated the easiest opponent on teams’ schedules. It’s not much of a surprise for anyone with a bare minimum of interest in the NFL.
The year over year train wreck that is the Browns organization shows few signs of staying on the rails in 2016. Yes, they’ve jettisoned the “not worth it” sideshow act that was Johnny Manziel. Yes, they’ve brought in a capable quarterback guru in Hue Jackson to work with Robert Griffin III. They’ve also hired an innovative analytics mind in president Paul De Podesta. But the composition of the roster as is has more questions than answers.
This is as winnable a game on the schedule as it gets. There simply aren’t any excuses here. A late season home game against a team you should beat is a gift from the schedule makers. Taking advantage of the situation could determine the Bills’ playoff fate as well as that of its coach.
Be sure and check out the eight most difficult games on the Buffalo Bills schedule in 2016.
