The Buffalo Bills once again enter the 2026 season as AFC playoff contenders. With superstar quarterback Josh Allen returning for his ninth season under center, GM Brandon Beane is still in charge of roster building. The team has the challenge of sustaining this success under first-year head coach Joe Brady.
They also carry with them the 8th hardest schedule in the NFL, but the players have yet to put their pads on during training camp to earn meaningful preseason reps to see which players have made the 53-man roster to play hard in the 2026 season.
During the season, they will play three challenging contests in the Weeks of 12 through 16 that could determine whether they make the playoffs once again or miss them for the first time since Allen's rookie season in 2018.
3 tough games Bills need to win to carry playoff momentum in 2026
1.) Kansas City Chiefs - Week 12 (Thanksgiving)
After Patrick Mahomes' 2025 season ended early with a torn ACL, the Kansas City Chiefs also missed the playoffs in 2025. The Bills, however, have beaten the Chiefs in the last five straight regular season games.
If the Bills want to extend their playoff chances this year, they have to pull off that sixth straight win under the lights against the Chiefs on Thanksgiving night at the newly opened Highmark Stadium.
The Bills may have the advantage, as they will be running a different defensive scheme under defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard. Rather than the shell defense of the past, the Bills will use pressure from multiple angles this year.
The Chiefs want to win this game as well as last year, but their playoff run was snapped when Mahomes went out for the season with a torn ACL. If he comes back and stays healthy for the entire season, look for some very good competition between the two quarterbacks.
2.) New England Patriots - Weeks 4 & 13
The Bills and the Patriots have had their two AFC East meetings circled on the schedule since last season. These two games will determine not only who makes the playoffs but also who will control the AFC East title this year.
Last season, the Bills saw their 5-year reign as the kings of the AFC East come to an end at the hands of an upstart Patriots team led by Mike Vrabel. This year, if the Bills win at least one of these two matchups, or, though unlikely, sweep the Pats, the Bills should take the AFC East right back from New England and win their sixth division title in seven seasons.
3.) Denver Broncos - Week 16 (Christmas Day)
The Chiefs aren't the only team the Bills need to earn revenge against this season. This year on Christmas Day, Joe Brady and his Bills will be heading into the high altitude of Denver, Colorado to take on his former boss, Sean Payton, and the Broncos.
The Bills must find a way for their revamped defense to make a key stop late in the game to avoid the 33-30 OT loss the Bills suffered in the AFC Divisional Playoff Round last season against Denver.
This game also features major storylines, with Joe Brady going up against Sean Payton and the Bills' two new coordinators, Pete Carmichael Jr. and Jim Leonhard, who were formerly assistants with the Broncos.
Only time will tell whether the Bills can win enough games to feel secure about their chances of making the playoffs once again this season.
Add us as a preferred source on Google