Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Buffalo Bills 2015 Schedule

-Coast

As all of you know the 2015 Buffalo Bills schedule is as follows:

Week 1: Indy 1 PM
Week 2: NE 1 PM
Week 3: @Mia: 4:25 PM
Week 4: NYG 1 PM
Week 5: @Tenn 1 PM
Week 6: Cinci 1 PM
Week 7: @Jax 9:30 AM
Week 8: BYE
Week 9: Mia 1 PM
Week 10: @NYJ 8:25 PM (TNF)
Week 11: @NE 8:30 PM (MNF)
Week 12: @KC 1 PM
Week 13: Hou 1 PM
Week 14: @ Phil 1 PM
Week 15: @ Wash 1 PM
Week 16: DAL 1 PM
Week 17: NYJ 1 PM

Finally a Monday Night Football game…but of course it is a road game and at New England. Don’t worry though, it isn’t after the Patriots bye (though the Pats do have 10 days to prepare for the Bills in week 2).

The Bills are playing in their first Monday nighter since 2009 vs. the Patriots…and we all know how that game turned out. The Bills have not won a prime time (non TNF) game since 2000. The Bills have not won a road prime time game of any variety since…Lord knows. The Bills are playing back to back prime time roadies…first time 2 prime time games in one season since 2009. I don’t want to speculate as to the last time this team has won back to back road games let alone back to back road prime time games. So, while this looks fun on paper, it probably isn’t ideal for the win/loss record.

Overall, I have mixed emotions on the schedule. It doesn’t seem overly impossible. From week 3 to 10 the Bills only play one playoff team and that is a team led by Andy Dalton. The Bills also get to play Brady and Luck at home early in the season where the Bills tend to fare better.

On the contrary though, the Bills run into a gauntlet beginning in week 10 with that first Jets prime time road game. The Bills will play 5 road games in 6 weeks. Say what you will about the opponents, but at the end of the day this is the Bills and the Bills have not been good on the road in 20 years. What can we expect realistically out of this stretch of 6 games? 3-3 at best?

Looking at the schedule at this very moment, the Bills would be favored in 7 of the 16 games…Giants, at Titans, at Jags, Miami, at Jets, Houston, Jets. That is more than normal for this team.

Other quick thoughts…

-          3 straight NFC east games in December…strange. Though in the 25th anniversary of the Bills first super bowl appearance they will have the chance to avenge all of their super bowl losses.

-          Home January football game is guaranteed – first since 2004. The Bills play the Jets at home on 1/3.

-          9:30 AM kickoff in London will be sweet. 7 AM soccer game, then 9:30 football game, then the 1:00 games. Doesn't get any better.

-          No scheduled Sunday Night game EVER I don’t believe since Sunday Night Football became the game of the week...which shouldn't be surprising.

-          Road trip venues – Miami in September…would prefer that in December. At Eagles in December or at Washington in December could be fun though if either of those teams are in the hunt. Trips to NE or NYJ to watch a prime time game would be awesome though could also be risky...based on a really low win probability.

-          5 of 8 Bills home games in likely nice weather – good for ticket sales even if the team flops.

      Final prediction 12-4.




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