The Buffalo Bills schedule has been released and the analysis has already begun. We have a relative idea of what the Bills will be in 2026 given that much of the team is back from the group that was one play away from the AFC Championship game last year.
The team has made a few intriguing offseason moves that could make them better, but they are facing a very tough schedule this season. When looking ahead to the 2026 schedule, there are only a handful of opponents that can be looked at as “easier” games on the schedule.
2026 opponents that should give Bills no trouble at all
1.) Miami Dolphins (Weeks 11 & 17)
The 2026 Miami Dolphins will be drastically different than the group that went 7-10 in 2026. They released Tyreek Hill and Tua Tagovailoa, incurring a massive dead cap space for this coming season. Jaylen Waddle was traded to the Denver Broncos, and they also released Bradley Chubb who ended up signing with the Bills.
This is a clear reset for the Dolphins. They expect to be pitiful in 2026 and have the kind of draft capital that can lead to an accelerated rebuild. The Bills should be substantial favorites coming into both games, and these are must-win because of how bad the Dolphins should be.
2.) Las Vegas Raiders (Week 6)
The Raiders were a miserable 3-14 last season, myriad issues plaguing them on both sides of the ball. You don’t get to the first overall pick in the NFL Draft without being a truly bad team, after all. That said, the Raiders should be vastly improved in 2026.
The team signed veteran Kirk Cousins to start at quarterback until first overall pick Fernando Mendoza is ready to take over. Tyler Linderbaum, Quay Walker, Nkobe Dean, Malcolm Koonce, and former Bill Taron Johnson should make them better. Even with the improvements, the Bills should come into this game as the favorites.
3.) New York Jets (Weeks 10 & 18)
Stop me if you’ve heard this before: the Jets have positive offseason momentum. Second overall pick David Bailey should add juice to the pass rush, and they added a plethora of potential starters through the draft. Joseph Ossai, Demario Davis, and Minkah Fitzpatrick should make the defense better while Geno Smith adds a proven, veteran presence at quarterback.
Then again, the Jets are the Jets. They were 3-14 in 2025 and have the longest active playoff drought among the four major North American sports leagues. The franchise itself has a dark cloud over it, so the Jets will have to show they are finally out of it before they enter a game with the Bills as favorites.
A tough slate
The Bills have more than a few tough opponents staring them down in the 2026 season. Facing the Houston Texans, Detroit Lions, Los Angeles Chargers, New England Patriots (twice), Los Angeles Rams, Baltimore Ravens, Minnesota Vikings, Kanas City Chiefs, Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears, and Denver Broncos is a murderer’s row.
The Bills will have to be at their best throughout the course of the regular season if they are going to get back to the top of the AFC East again. They will also need to take advantage of the “easy” games on the slate to help build their room for error or things could become even tougher.
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