BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Bills fans can start making plans and predictions now that the 2024 NFL schedule was posted Wednesday night.
Here is our early analysis of Buffalo’s slate of games, the majority of which airing on WIVB-TV Ch. 4.
Road tests early on
After what could be an easy home opener against the Arizona Cardinals traveling east for 1 p.m. kickoff, the Bills go on the road four days later to visit the Miami Dolphins, starting a stretch of five in seven weeks as the visiting team.
Those away games include challenging matchups in Week 4 at the Baltimore Ravens, the team that had the most wins in the AFC last season, and a Week 5 visit to play departed star receiver Stefon Diggs and the Houston Texans, another playoff team from a year ago. The following Monday night’s trip to take on Aaron Rodgers (we assume) and the New York Jets marks Buffalo’s first time playing three consecutive games on the road since 2015.
With the frontloaded road schedule, the Bills will make only one trip in November, which also includes their Week 12 bye, one week earlier than last season’s.
Prime time affairs
Enjoy your Sunday afternoons in the fall. The Bills are scheduled to play five games in prime time, four coming in the first six weeks of the season.
Thursday, Sept. 12 at Miami, 8:15 p.m.
Monday, Sept. 23 vs. Jacksonville, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 29 at Baltimore, 8:20 p.m.
Monday, Oct. 14 at NY Jets, 8:15 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 1 vs. San Francisco, 8:20 p.m.
Buffalo’s limelight has been slightly reduced from a year ago, when the Bills were showcased in six primetime games, the maximum allowed by the NFL, and had their Week 18 game at Miami flexed to Sunday Night Football.
Hosting the Jaguars on Monday Night Football in late September should offer prime tailgating conditions, while the Sunday Night Football game against the visiting San Francisco 49ers to start December has the potential for a notable weather event.
Super Bowl stretch
The Sunday Night Football game against the 49ers comes after Buffalo’s bye week, and follows a home date with the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.
Will Taylor Swift show up in Orchard Park again for the rematch of last year’s divisional playoff game that ended the Bills season? One of four late afternoon kickoffs this season, and the only one at home is among nine regular season CBS broadcasts expected to air locally on WIVB.
Holidays off
After playing on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve the past two seasons, the Bills didn’t get scheduled on any of those days in 2024. They also won’t be part of the NFL’s slate on Christmas, occurring on a Wednesday this year.
The Monday Night Football game against the Jets on Oct. 14 falls on a federal holiday.
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Jonah Bronstein joined the WIVB squad in 2022 as a digital sports reporter. The Buffalonian has covered the Bills, Sabres, Bandits, Bisons, colleges, high schools and other notable sporting events in Western New York since 2005, for publications including The Associated Press, The Buffalo News, and Niagara Gazette. Read more of his work here.