The preseason schedule for the Buffalo Bills will kick off this Saturday on August 15th, where they will have their first game against the Carolina Panthers at 1PM. It will be the first game that takes place in the new Highmark Stadium, and it will be one of their two games in the new stadium during the preseason.
Josh Allen came out of the tunnel for the Bills’ Saturday practice in the team’s new “Nickel City” jerseys, in which it has caused a lot of mixed opinions amongst Bills Mafia and the entire NFL world, but Allen did shut down the criticism of them once they were introduced. However, the Bills are set to wear those uniforms twice this season against the Los Angeles Chargers (Week 3) and against the Chicago Bears (Week 15).
With the preseason being the only thing that truly stands in front of the Bills and Week 1, it’s important to remember that this is a new era of Bills football. It’s the Joe Brady show on the sideline, as Sean McDermott was fired back in January. There are new coaches and new players, but still the same goal of winning a Super Bowl.
Buffalo has five games this year (two at home, three on the road) that will ultimately define their season and introduce the first chapter of this new era, for better or worse.
5 games on Bills' schedule that could make or break their 2026 season
No. 5: Week 4 vs. New England Patriots
The New England Patriots took the AFC East away from the Buffalo Bills last season after the Bills were on top for five consecutive seasons. I get it, the Patriots had a historically easy schedule, but they took advantage of it and ran all the way to the Super Bowl, which is something that the Bills haven’t done with Josh Allen under center.
Early on in the season, the Bills will host the Patriots for a 1PM division game. New England beat Buffalo in Orchard Park last year where former Bills receiver, Stefon Diggs, had 10 catches for 146 yards against his old team. Buffalo cannot afford to lose to the Patriots in Orchard Park in back-to-back seasons, especially since the race for the top of the AFC East will come down between these two teams.
No. 4: Week 1 @ Houston Texans
The NFL did the Bills no favors for the Bills by putting them in Houston to take on the Texans right out of the gate. The Texans completely shut down the Bills’ offense last season, hitting Josh Allen 12 times and bringing him down 8 times.
The Bills don't perform well in Houston and haven't for a very long time. It won't be a good look for Joe Brady if the Bills lose to an in-conference opponent to start out his tenure as the new Bills head coach.
No. 3: Week 12 vs. Kansas City Chiefs (Thanksgiving Night)
The Bills were given the late night game slot on Thanksgiving night where they will host Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. The Bills have the Chiefs’ number in the regular season, but the playoffs are the opposite.
Anytime you get a Josh Allen vs. Patrick Mahomes matchup, everyone is going to tune in. Usually, these teams meet in early November which still gives them room to improve later on in the season. However, with it being in the final week of November, there won’t be too many opportunities for the loser of this game to make up for the loss.
No. 2: Week 16 @ Denver Broncos (Christmas Day)
On Christmas Day, the Bills will be back in the stadium against the team that ended their playoff run last season. The Denver Broncos will forever be known as the team that initiated a change within the Bills organization, and now they will be back facing each other on the second major holiday of the season.
It would not be surprising to see the Bills and Broncos be in a race for the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs, and if that is the case by the time this game comes around, it’s going to be an electric matchup.
No. 1: Week 5 @ Los Angeles Rams (MNF)
The Rams have the best roster in the entire NFL, and they already had it before acquiring Myles Garrett from the Cleveland Browns. Now, there’s a chance that they could add Aaron Donald if he decides to come out of retirement.
Los Angeles should very well be Buffalo’s toughest opponent this season by a mile. However, if the Bills are able to go into SoFi Stadium and take down the Rams, that will be a huge message sent to the rest of the league about who the Bills are.
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