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The NFL schedule makers didn’t take it easy on the Buffalo Bills in 2026.
After being one of the least-traveled teams in the NFL last season, Buffalo’s travel mileage nearly doubles this year thanks to multiple West Coast trips, holiday road games and a more nationally featured schedule.
The Bills are also slated for six primetime games, two holiday matchups and the first regular-season game at the new Highmark Stadium.
Here are five facts about Buffalo’s 2026 schedule.
Buffalo had the NFL's second-lightest travel schedules in 2025, totaling just 10,546 miles.
Not this year.
That number skyrockets to 19,734 miles in 2026, 13th most in the league.
The Bills are scheduled for multiple long-distance trips this season, including road games against the Rams and Raiders on back-to-back weeks in October along with trips to Denver, Houston and Minnesota.
The increased travel comes after Buffalo played only one game outside the Eastern Time Zone last year.
The Bills could ameliorate the consecutive West Coast trips to Los Angeles and Las Vegas and save 4,500 miles by remaining out west for the entire week between the Los Angeles and Las Vegas games instead of returning to Buffalo in between.
The Bills landed two of the NFL’s marquee holiday windows in 2026.
Buffalo will host the Kansas City Chiefs on Thanksgiving night in the franchise’s first-ever Thanksgiving home game.
The Bills will also travel to Denver for a Christmas Day matchup against the Broncos in a rematch of last season’s AFC divisional playoff loss.
Buffalo has become one of the league’s premier television draws during the Josh Allen era, and the NFL leaned heavily into that again this season.
The new Highmark Stadium will not have to wait long for major national attention.
Buffalo hosts the Detroit Lions on Thursday Night Football in Week 2 in the first regular-season game at the new stadium.
Then comes Thanksgiving night against the Chiefs.
Before all of that, the Bills will debut the new stadium with a preseason game against the Carolina Panthers on Aug. 15.
Buffalo’s schedule stretches across nearly the entire football calendar.
The Bills are scheduled to play games on:
The unusual spread includes Thursday Night Football and Thanksgiving night, Christmas Day (Friday) a Saturday primetime game in December and Monday Night Football.
Buffalo opens with three home games in the first four weeks, although four of the Bills’ first five opponents made the playoffs last season.
The schedule becomes much more road-heavy later in the year.
The Bills play eight road games over their final 13 weeks, including four away games during a five-week stretch from Weeks 13-17.
The first four opponents during that stretch — the Patriots, Packers, Bears and Broncos — all reached the postseason in 2025.
Buffalo also drew both of its Monday Night Football appearances on the road.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Buffalo Bills 2026 schedule: 5 facts about their challenging slate
Continue reading...
After being one of the least-traveled teams in the NFL last season, Buffalo’s travel mileage nearly doubles this year thanks to multiple West Coast trips, holiday road games and a more nationally featured schedule.
The Bills are also slated for six primetime games, two holiday matchups and the first regular-season game at the new Highmark Stadium.
Here are five facts about Buffalo’s 2026 schedule.
1. The Bills will travel roughly 9,000 more miles than last season
Buffalo had the NFL's second-lightest travel schedules in 2025, totaling just 10,546 miles.
Not this year.
That number skyrockets to 19,734 miles in 2026, 13th most in the league.
The Bills are scheduled for multiple long-distance trips this season, including road games against the Rams and Raiders on back-to-back weeks in October along with trips to Denver, Houston and Minnesota.
The increased travel comes after Buffalo played only one game outside the Eastern Time Zone last year.
The Bills could ameliorate the consecutive West Coast trips to Los Angeles and Las Vegas and save 4,500 miles by remaining out west for the entire week between the Los Angeles and Las Vegas games instead of returning to Buffalo in between.
2. The NFL turned the Bills into a holiday attraction
The Bills landed two of the NFL’s marquee holiday windows in 2026.
Buffalo will host the Kansas City Chiefs on Thanksgiving night in the franchise’s first-ever Thanksgiving home game.
The Bills will also travel to Denver for a Christmas Day matchup against the Broncos in a rematch of last season’s AFC divisional playoff loss.
Buffalo has become one of the league’s premier television draws during the Josh Allen era, and the NFL leaned heavily into that again this season.
3. The new Highmark Stadium gets immediate showcase games
The new Highmark Stadium will not have to wait long for major national attention.
Buffalo hosts the Detroit Lions on Thursday Night Football in Week 2 in the first regular-season game at the new stadium.
Then comes Thanksgiving night against the Chiefs.
Before all of that, the Bills will debut the new stadium with a preseason game against the Carolina Panthers on Aug. 15.
4. The Bills will play on five different days of the week
Buffalo’s schedule stretches across nearly the entire football calendar.
The Bills are scheduled to play games on:
- Thursday
- Friday
- Saturday
- Sunday
- Monday
The unusual spread includes Thursday Night Football and Thanksgiving night, Christmas Day (Friday) a Saturday primetime game in December and Monday Night Football.
5. The Bills face a difficult late-season road stretch
Buffalo opens with three home games in the first four weeks, although four of the Bills’ first five opponents made the playoffs last season.
The schedule becomes much more road-heavy later in the year.
The Bills play eight road games over their final 13 weeks, including four away games during a five-week stretch from Weeks 13-17.
The first four opponents during that stretch — the Patriots, Packers, Bears and Broncos — all reached the postseason in 2025.
Buffalo also drew both of its Monday Night Football appearances on the road.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Buffalo Bills 2026 schedule: 5 facts about their challenging slate
Continue reading...
