Buffalo Bills 2015 Schedule: Win-Loss Predictions for Every Game
The Buffalo Bills got the better of their 2014 regular-season schedule, winning nine of 16 contests and narrowly missing out on a playoff spot.
While it is too early to know exactly how things will play out in 2015, we do know what Buffalo's upcoming regular-season schedule will look like.
The NFL released its 2015 schedule on Tuesday night, which means we now know who and where the Bills will play on a week-to-week basis. With this knowledge in mind, we will take a look forward and make an educated guess as to the outcome of each individual matchup for the Bills.
Week 1 vs. Indianapolis Colts
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The Indianapolis Colts already fielded a potent offense (ranked sixth, averaging 28.6 points per game in 2014) before adding veterans Frank Gore and Andre Johnson during the offseason.
Add those two to the likes of Andrew Luck, T.Y. Hilton and Coby Fleener, and you have one truly dangerous unit.
The good news for Buffalo is that the team possesses a playoff-caliber defense (ranked fourth, allowing 312.2 yards per game in 2014) led by defensive-minded head coach Rex Ryan. The Bills certainly won't allow the Colts to simply trot into the end zone.
Unfortunately, the Bills will be looking at a new offense under coordinator Greg Roman and currently have no clear answer at quarterback. There will be growing pains.
Being a home game, I would give this one to the Bills if it were later in the season. As it stands, the Colts probably have too much firepower, while the Buffalo offense will still be finding its way.
Final prediction: 27-20 Bills loss.
Week 2 vs. New England Patriots
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The Bills open the season with two consecutive home games. The second comes against the division rival New England Patriots.
This is actually a good spot for the Bills to pull off an upset. The Patriots are defending Super Bowl champions and may be firmly in the early stages of a playoff hangover. Losing starting cornerbacks Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner isn't likely to help their cause.
Buffalo, meanwhile, will be hungry for its first win of the season. You can rest assured that Ryan will be hungry to knock off New England as well.
The Bills have the type of aggressive, relentless defensive front that can frustrate Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. Add in a hostile crowd, and New England may be facing a situation similar to the one it encountered against the Miami Dolphins in last year's season opener.
Brady was harassed throughout that contest and the Patriots lost 33-20. The score in this one might not be the same, but the outcome will be.
Final prediction: 30-23 Bills win.
Week 3 @ Miami Dolphins
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Just as the Patriots will have trouble on the road against Buffalo, the Bills are going to have some trouble on the road against the Miami Dolphins.
The Miami defense wasn't impressive as a whole (ranked 20th, allowing 23.3 points per game), but it was very good against the pass (sixth, 222.3 yards per game). The team added quarterback nightmare Ndamukong Suh at defensive tackle in free agency.
For a Bills squad that is still trying to figure out what it has at the quarterback position, this could spell disaster.
The Dolphins have an established quarterback in Ryan Tannehill. He leads a unit that averaged 24.2 points per game a season ago. Miami's confidence and consistency under center will be the difference-makers in a closely contested divisional matchup.
Final prediction: 24-20 Bills loss.
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Week 4 vs. New York Giants
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The New York Giants are likely to walk into a hornet's nest in Week 4. The Bills will be coming off a tough divisional loss and will be ready to put on a show for the home crowd.
That show will likely come at the expense of Giants quarterback Eli Manning, who will face a Bills defense that racked up 54 sacks a season ago.
The Giants defense had trouble shutting down just about anyone in 2014 (375.8 yards per game allowed, 29th in the NFL).
We still don't know if Buffalo's quarterback will be Matt Cassel, EJ Manuel or someone else. However, the offseason acquisitions of Percy Harvin, Charles Clay and LeSean McCoy should help ensure that the quarterback is surrounded by plenty of talent.
Though the offense may still be coming together at this point, it should be able to produce enough against New York's underwhelming defense to put up a winning effort.
Final prediction: 20-13 Bills win.
Week 5 @ Tennessee Titans
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The Bills will be back on the road in Week 5, but their opponents will be the woeful Tennessee Titans.
The Titans may find their franchise quarterback in this year's draft, but this is a team that "earned" the second overall pick for a reason. Contention is likely a long way away.
If the Bills can avoid allowing this to become a trap game, the Titans should surrender a relatively easy victory. After all, this is the same team that allowed the sluggish Cleveland Browns offense to pull off the biggest road comeback in NFL history a year ago.
This game shouldn't involve much drama.
Final prediction: 33- 13 Bills win.
Week 6 vs. Cincinnati Bengals
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On paper, the Cincinnati Bengals should be one of the tougher opponents the Bills will face in 2015. Cincinnati has made it to the playoffs in each of the past four seasons and will be looking to make a return trip to the postseason.
However, the Bengals will need quarterback Andy Dalton (42 turnovers in the past two seasons) to start playing with more poise and efficiency in pressure situations in order to get there.
Playing on the road against Buffalo will certainly put Dalton and Co. in a pressure situation.
The Bills defense recorded 54 sacks and 19 interceptions a season ago. If there is a unit that has the potential to force Dalton into making stupid mistakes, this is it.
Cincinnati will likely try to test Buffalo's run defense (106.4 yards per game allowed in 2014) with Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard. However, I think Dalton makes too many mistakes for Cincinnati to leave Buffalo as the winner.
Final prediction: 27-17 Bills win.
Week 7 @ Jacksonville Jaguars
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The Bills avoid a trap game in Week 5 but could definitely be looking at one against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 7.
Coming off three consecutive wins and staring directly at a bye week, the Bills could suffer from a lack of focus against the Jaguars. Jacksonville is a rapidly improving team and won't be an easy out even if the Bills are focused.
According to Chris Thomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, the Jaguars are one of the teams that could trade for star Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson.
If the Jaguars land Peterson, this game naturally becomes a little more difficult.
For now, we'll leave Peterson out of the equation. Ryan keeps the team focused and the Bills head into the bye week on a four-game winning streak.
Final prediction: 27-19 Bills win.
Week 8: Bye
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The Buffalo Bills get their bye week smack dab in the middle of the regular season.
For a potential playoff team like Buffalo, this is a good point in the season to grab a little rest and do a few in-season adjustments. While a later bye week would help ensure the team is relatively healthy entering the stretch run, an earlier bye creates the risk of fading in the second half of the season.
Getting to the postseason should be Buffalo's immediate goal. A little midseason rest puts the team in better position to make it happen.
Week 9 vs. Miami Dolphins
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The Dolphins pulled out a close victory earlier in the season. Now it will be Buffalo's turn.
At this point in the season, Buffalo's offense should be about as close to firing on all cylinders as it is going to get. An extra week of preparation will undoubtedly aid the effort.
It'll be another close contest, but Buffalo gets its revenge.
Final prediction: 21-20 Bills win.
Week 10 @ New York Jets
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The last time the Bills met the New York Jets, Buffalo won a 38-3 laugher.
Buffalo's current head coach was on the losing side of that debacle and will make sure that the Jets don't get their revenge on Thursday night in 2015.
Ryan shouldn't have to do much, of course. While the Jets got better in the offseason by adding Ryan Fitzpatrick, Brandon Marshall, Antonio Cromartie and Darrelle Revis, they are still very much a team in flux.
The New York offense has even more questions heading in this season than its Buffalo counterpart. Bringing back Cromartie and Revis was a bold move, but the Bills still have the superior overall defense.
The fact that this game takes place on the road shouldn't have a major effect, though it likely won't be a blowout.
Final prediction: 28-20 Bills win.
Week 11 @ New England Patriots
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Bill Belichick and the Patriots will be looking for revenge in Week 11.
They will be playing at home. They will also be playing in prime time and late in the season with a playoff push firmly in sight.
None of these facts bode well for Buffalo.
The Bills put up a tough fight, but the Patriots figure out how to pull away late.
Final prediction: 37-24 Bills loss.
Week 12 @ Kansas City Chiefs
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This is a game that will pit two of the game's most exciting running backs against one another. The difference is that while the Bills have a number of weapons on offense, Jamaal Charles has been one of the only real offensive threats for the Kansas City Chiefs in recent years.
With that said, I do believe the Chiefs offense will be more balanced in 2015. The offseason acquisition of Jeremy Maclin will certainly help out their passing game.
Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith recently said the following of Maclin, via the Chiefs' official website.
"I think [Maclin] is the type of receiver that excels in all areas. I think that's maybe his biggest strength, at least watching from afar and having seen him. I don't think you can pigeonhole him as just a speed guy and over-the-top guy. I think his game is way more complex than that and he can do a lot of different things.
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Smith is a smart and careful quarterback who typically doesn't make a ton of mistakes (just six interceptions last season). A lack of turnovers will likely force Buffalo to frequently move the ball from its side of the field.
This won't be easy against Kansas City's defense (ranked second in scoring, allowing just 17.6 points per game in 2014). Toss in the fact that Arrowhead Stadium is a notoriously tough place to play, and I just don't see the Bills getting it done.
Final prediction: 26-16 Bills loss.
Week 13 vs. Houston Texans
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This is a matchup of two of the league's most imposing defenses.
The Houston Texans ranked seventh overall in points allowed (19.2 per game) a season ago. The Bills ranked fourth (18.1 points per game allowed).
Coincidentally, both teams finished with a 9-7 record.
The difference in this game will likely come down to quarterback play. Unfortunately, neither team has determined who its starting quarterback will be in 2015.
Because of this, I would currently give the edge to Buffalo. Not only are the Bills at home in this contest, but the offseason additions of McCoy, Harvin and Clay should make it easier for Buffalo to score points than it was a season ago.
Ultimately, I think one of those scores comes late in the game and puts Buffalo ahead for good—and possibly ahead in the conference standings.
Final prediction: 24-20 Bills win.
Week 14 @ Philadelphia Eagles
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As with Buffalo, the Philadelphia Eagles aren't sure who will be under center in 2015.
What the Eagles do know is that their offense should be in good hands under head coach Chip Kelly. That side of the ball will still have Darren Sproles, Jordan Matthews and offseason acquisition DeMarco Murray.
The big question will be if the Philadelphia defense can improve enough to contain the emerging Bills offense. The Eagles added cornerbacks Walter Thurmond and Byron Maxwell in free agency and added linebacker Kiko Alonso in the trade that gave Buffalo its new running back.
Overall, though, this is a defensive unit that allowed 375.6 yards per game in 2014 (28th in the NFL).
On paper, this is a very winnable game for the Bills. In the end, however, this shapes up to be a matchup between two playoff contenders, with the home team winning in a shootout.
Final prediction: 42-36 Bills loss.
Week 15 @ Washington Redskins
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Like many of Buffalo's 2015 opponents, the Washington Redskins have their own quarterback concerns. Their concern, however, is whether or not 2012 first-round pick Robert Griffin III can emerge as a true franchise quarterback and stay healthy enough to hold that position.
This late in the season, those concerns could lead to a whole lot of dysfunction in the nation's capital. This would be especially true if second-year head coach Jay Gruden finds himself on the hot seat.
If Washington is mired in drama this late in the season, then victories will likely be difficult to come by.
Regardless of Washington's off-field circumstances, this should be a winnable game for the Bills. The Washington defense ranked 30th in scoring a season ago (27.4 points per game allowed) and was rated worst overall by Pro Football Focus.
The Bills offense should be able to move the ball enough to put the team in position to win. The defense will do the rest.
Final prediction: 30-17 Bills win.
Week 16 vs. Dallas Cowboys
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The Dallas Cowboys relied heavily on star running back DeMarco Murray during last season's playoff campaign. While the Cowboys still have quarterback Tony Romo, wide reciver Dez Bryant and a stout offensive line (ranked second in run-blocking by Pro Football Focus), Murray is gone.
However, the Cowboys will still see a familiar running back when they visit Buffalo.
Running back LeSean McCoy, who torched Dallas for 223 yards and a touchdown in two meetings as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles in 2014, is now the guy in Buffalo.
Romo and Co. have the potential to weather the loss of Murray this season, but going against Buffalo's pass defense (ranked third in 2014, allowing just 205.8 yards per game) won't be easy.
Things won't be easy for the Bills, either. However, I think home-field advantage plays a role in this game and McCoy makes enough big plays late to pull out a win for Buffalo in this critical late-season matchup.
Final prediction: 30-23 Bills win.
Week 17 vs. New York Jets
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The outcome of Buffalo's regular-season finale could very well depend on if the team has something to play for or not.
With 10 wins to this point, the team should be playoff-bound. If there can be no change in seeding, then perhaps the Jets steal a victory here.
For now, we'll assume that Buffalo does indeed have something to play for. If this is the case, then a home victory against a bitter division rival should be in the cards.
The Bills are further along in team development and will use the Jets to provide one last regular-season show for their fans.
Final prediction: 28-9 Bills win.
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