The regular season schedule for the highly anticipated Buffalo Bills 2022 season has been set. Many see the Bills as a Super Bowl contender, and from the confirmed five prime-time games, the NFL schedule makers agree. Last Word on Pro Football is analyzing the schedules of all 32 NFL teams. Each team’s 17-game schedule will be split into the most difficult (1-8) and the easiest (9-17). Let’s look at the most difficult games on the Bills’ schedule.
Check out the Buffalo Bills Easiest Games of 2022.
Most Difficult Games on 2022 Buffalo Bills Schedule
#1: Week 1 @ Los Angeles Rams
The Bills received the “honor” of being selected for the league’s opening night game on Thursday, Sept 8th against the defending Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams. Not an easy task to travel cross-country and have to deal with all of the pomp and circumstance as the Rams celebrate their Super Bowl victory. The NFL likes to set these games as a playoff or Super Bowl preview, so it is nice that they recognize the Bills as a team that could be there at the end of the season. They will have their work cut out for them as the Rams still have the talent to repeat as Super Bowl champions.
#2: Week 6 @ Kansas City Chiefs
This culminates a four-week stretch in which the Bills face four potential AFC playoff teams. The Bills will have to deal with the autumn heat and the painful memories of the “13 seconds” game against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Bills will not have to deal with Tyreek Hill, who was traded to the Miami Dolphins, but of course, will have to worry about Patrick Mahomes. Look forward to another game of huge plays, lead changes, and dramatic moments. Maybe someday the Chiefs will make it out to Buffalo for a game.
#3: Week 8 vs Green Bay Packers
For this game, Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers will travel to Buffalo for a prime-time Sunday night game. This will give the Buffalo fans all day to prepare for this contest. This may be one of the better defenses the Bills see in 2022, as the Packers had excellent players at most positions, and they added two young talents in the draft. It will remain to be seen if the Packers add some more talent at wide receiver, but they still have enough firepower with two talented running backs to test the Bills’ defense. Like the game against the Rams, this could also be billed as a potential Super Bowl preview.
#4: Week 17 @ Cincinnati Bengals
A Monday Night Football game against Cincinnati Bengals is a must-watch battle. Cincinnati is not Buffalo in January, but it is also not Miami. The Bills’ defense will face one of the best offenses in the NFL, led by Joe Burrow and his stable of wide receivers. If the Bills focus too much attention on the passing game, Joe Mixon will have a big game. In addition, the Bengals made vast improvements in their offensive line, making this top offense even better. Much of the difficulty of this game may be determined by the teams and whether or not they have secured their playoff position by this week.
#5: Week 2 vs Tennessee Titans
The Bills will get a few extra days rest for this one after playing in the Thursday night season opener. They will need it as Derrick Henry and the Tennessee Titans come to town on a Monday Night Football home opener for the Bills. In addition to Henry, the Titans have a formidable defense, among the best in the NFL. After parting ways with A.J. Brown, the Titans will turn to Nick Westbrook-Ikhine to lead their receiving corps. A potential side story to the Titans season may be what happens between incumbent quarterback Ryan Tannehill and his apparent successor, Malik Willis. Tannehill has been quoted as saying that he does not feel it is his job to mentor the Titans’ third-round draft pick. Willis is unlikely to take the starting job that early in the season but this issue could be a pre-season distraction.
#6: Week 4 @ Baltimore Ravens
A road trip to play the Baltimore Ravens and Lamar Jackson makes this a very tough game. Don’t let the fact that the Ravens did not make the playoffs last year fool you. Injuries impacted their running game and they also lost Jackson to injury down the stretch. A fully healthy Ravens unit will test the Bills’ run defense and could also give Josh Allen fits.
#7: Week 13 @ New England Patriots
Another prime-time game, this time on a Thursday night in Foxboro. Many pundits do not think that the New England Patriots will be much better than a .500 team this year. Whether that is true or not, going to New England is always a difficult task. Mac Jones threw for 3,801 yards his rookie season, with 22 touchdown passes. They added DeVante Parker to their receiving corps, which should help boost offensive production. The Patriots always find a way to compete and will challenge the traveling Bills.
#8: Week 5 vs Pittsburgh Steelers
The big question for the Pittsburgh Steelers is who will replace Ben Roethlisberger? The team has announced that there will be an open competition between first-round draft pick Kenny Pickett and former Bills backup Mitch Trubisky. Either option has their hands full to make the Steelers’ offense productive, especially against Buffalo. Their defense will be just fine, making them a tough matchup for any team.
Main Photo: Embed from Getty Images
