Throughout this entire decade, the Buffalo Bills have been among the NFL’s elite teams ever since they started their five-year AFC East title run from 2020-2024. Prior to that, the Bills were always stuck in mediocrity. They were never the worst, but they were in the bottom tier for sure. Luckily, the drafting of Josh Allen certainly helped them turn things around for the better.
Since the Bills have made their way up to the top tier among the league, there have been two teams in the AFC that they have been connected with; the Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens.
The Cincinnati Bengals have also made an appearance at times, but they have slipped down a bit since their Super Bowl appearance back in 2021/2022. For the most part though, it's been the Chiefs and Ravens that have been at the same tier as the Bills. However, the New England Patriots are now part of the conversation...for now.
With the Patriots making a run at the Super Bowl last year, they now have to be considered a top tier team but we will truly see if they are for real, or if last year was just a fluke.
The Chiefs, Ravens, and Patriots will face the Bills this year, and you could make an argument that all three of them will be a tough challenge for the Bills in different ways. However, Sayre Bedinger from NFL Spin Zone gave each of these three teams a label that should calm any nerves that Bills Mafia has about them.
Patriots, Chiefs, and Ravens get label that Bills Mafia will laugh at
Bedinger recently wrote that the Chiefs, Ravens, and Patriots are the “3 most overhyped NFL teams entering the 2026 season” and fans couldn’t agree more with this take.
Bedinger about the Ravens:
"Some of the top reasons for some healthy skepticism for the Ravens in 2026 would include having a rookie head coach, a rookie offensive coordinator/play-caller, a revamped interior offensive line, and a complete change of culture." said Bedinger.
Bedinger about the Chiefs:
"The Chiefs have major concerns on the offensive line at both tackle positions. Patrick Mahomes is coming off of a serious leg injury and we don't know if he's going to be the same player out there, especially as quickly as he's come back from that injury." said Bedinger.
Bedinger about the Patriots:
"Yes, it's a different group of players than a season ago, but the Patriots also didn't do enough to upgrade their biggest problem in 2025: Sack differential (Sacks allowed offensively vs. sacks defensively). New England's issues in pass protection were a huge problem as Drake Maye took 21 sacks in the playoffs alone, and the pass rush defensively is lacking anyone dangerous or proven off the edge." said Bedinger.
Each of these teams clearly will be favorited throughout the season for different reasons. At the same time, just like the Bills, they aren’t perfect. However, the different between the Bills and these other three teams is that Buffalo went through a good amount of change and brought in a ton of help to figure out their weaknesses that were clear as day.
The Bills will take on the Patriots early on in the season and at the beginning of December, and then will host both the Ravens and Chiefs in the month of November. Time will tell if Bedinger’s take on these three teams are true.
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