Following the Seattle Seahawks shutting down the New England Patriots, the road to Super Bowl LXI begins now for teams like the Buffalo Bills, hoping to follow up Sam Darnold’s redemption arc with one of their own.
The 2025 season was supposed to be the moment for the Bills and Josh Allen to get over the hump and into the Big Game, but now they head into an offseason with even more questions. After all, of the teams that made it closest to Super Bowl LX, the Bills are undergoing the most change in their leadership, with Joe Brady taking over as head coach.
All 32 teams have a clean slate as we begin the road to SoFi Stadium next February. Despite the questions surrounding the Bills heading into the offseason, their viability as contenders to play in next season’s championship hasn’t taken much of a hit.
High expectations follow Buffalo Bills into a pivotal offseason
ESPN released its way-too-early NFL power rankings for the 2026 season, and the Bills still checked in as one of the leading favorites to play in Super Bowl LXI. The Bills ranked No. 5 in the power rankings, the highest ranking for any team heading into next season with a new head coach. For contrast, the next highest-ranked team with a new head coach was the Baltimore Ravens, down at No. 14.
Each entry in the power ranking came with a three-word statement to sum up the offseason challenges facing each team, and the Bills’ was pretty spot-on: “Pressure is on.”
For Brady, Josh Allen and the Bills to still carry such high expectations isn’t necessarily a surprise, but it does speak to the pressure those two men, as well as general manager Brandon Beane, face as we begin counting down the days to September.
Optically, the Bills can’t afford to take a step back with Josh Allen entering his age-30 season– the clock is ticking to get him to a Super Bowl. But realistically, there has to be some slack afforded to a 36-year-old first-time head coach.
That’s why Bills Mafia is hoping for a big effort from Beane this offseason to load the roster up with talent. They have superstar talent in some key spots, namely quarterback, running back and cornerback.
But they still need more explosive answers on the edge, and an elite receiver for Allen to lean on. If Beane can provide the Bills with those two agenda items, then Buffalo’s No. 5 ranking will feel a bit more comfortable as we arrive at training camp later in the summer.