Categories
NFL

2015 Buffalo Bills Schedule | Season Handicapping Picks

NFL Football – Bills Analysis

Understandably, there is a lot of optimism in western New York about the arrival of new head coach Rex Ryan. Particularly with the suspension of Tom Brady, QB of the divisional top dog New England Patriots, Ryan’s player-friendly attitude and zest for defense should bode well for a respectable Bills roster.

Bills Odds

Bills Odds to Win the 2016 Super Bowl: 33/1
Bills Odds to Win the 2015-16 AFC Conference: 16/1
Bills Season Win Total: 8.5
***2015 BONUSES***
[dfads params=’groups=63740&limit=1&return_javascript=0′]

This season, Buffalo tangles with the AFC South and North, as well as the NFC East, so it won’t be a cakewalk. Still, this is a team on the rise. Let’s look at the Bills’ 2015 regular season schedule.

Week 1: Sunday, Sept. 13, Indianapolis, 1 pm (all times EST)

Buffalo gets a tough test right out of the chute, as its talented defensive front seven will be challenged to contain Indy QB Andrew Luck, perhaps the league’s best current asset (even if Green Bay pivot Aaron Rodgers holds the crown for best QB in the NFL). Buffalo’s offense must make some big plays if it is to topple the Colts.

Week 2: Sunday, Sept. 20, New England, 1 pm

The Bills almost certainly get a Brady-less Pats team for this Week 2 divisional match-up. It will make a big difference; when New England’s ultimate facilitator isn’t playing, DE Kyle Williams and DT Marcell Dareus should terrorize New England’s attack.

[dfads params=’groups=63753&limit=1&return_javascript=0′]

You have to like the Bills to get a solid start to their AFC East slate.

Week 3: Sunday, Sept. 27, at Miami, 4:25 pm

At 9-7, the Bills showed some promise last year and though the Dolphins have similar talent, head coach Joe Philbin and his staff have under-performed with this team. The Bills’ D will have to contain RB Lamar Miller, who’s got some wiggle and some breakaway speed.

Week 4: Sunday, Oct. 4, N.Y. Giants, 1 pm

Breakout Giants WR Odell Beckham not only can resurrect QB Eli Manning’s career, he can give Buffalo’s secondary fits. However, Buffalo has its own slippery playmaker with WR Sammy Watkins – if he takes a step forward in his second season, he’ll be a force in the AFC. Should be an intriguing tilt.

Week 5: Sunday, Oct. 11, at Tennessee, 1 pm

Buffalo’s predatory D-line and linebackers should trouble Tennessee’s young pivots – either selfie-prone second-year man Zach Mettenberger or rookie Marcus Mariota – considerably. I like this road game for Buffalo.

Week 6: Sunday, Oct. 18, Cincinnati, 1 pm

If the visiting Bengals have a healthy WR A.J. Green in the lineup, he should give the Bills’ depleted secondary (they lost starting safety Da’Norris Searcy to free agency) fits. The running back tandem of Jeremy Hill and Giovany Bernard is also potent. Pedestrian Cincy QB Andy Dalton has a lot of help on his side of the ball.

[dfads params=’groups=66501&limit=1&return_javascript=0′]

Week 7: Sunday, Oct. 25, at Jacksonville (London, UK), 9:30 am

Surely the favorite week on NFL players’ schedules, the Bills travel to Jolly Ol’ England to take on the crappy Jags at Wembley Stadium. Buffalo should win this contest, jet lag be damned.

Week 8: BYE

Week 9: Sunday, Nov. 8, Miami, 1 pm

If Dolphins QB Ryan Tannehill can’t lick the Bills in south Florida earlier in the season, he’ll have a tougher time doing it in hostile Ralph Wilson Stadium. Buffalo’s average starting QB Matt Cassel has to show something, too, otherwise E.J. Manuel will get a chance to show that he is not a first-round bust.

Week 10: Thursday, Nov. 12, at N.Y. Jets, 8:25 pm

The classic Sunday-Thursday turnaround on the NFL schedule: Add it to the laundry list of why NFL administrators are evil. On the field, though, this should be a classic with talkative coach Rex Ryan traveling back to the tri-state area to take on his former team. If you’re not free Thursday nights, PVR this one.

Week 11: Monday, Nov. 23, at New England, 8:30 pm

The Pats will be back to full strength for this game and if the Bills could win this truly difficult road game, it would speak volumes of a possible sea change in the division, which has been dominated by the Pats for a very long time.

Week 12: Sunday, Nov. 29, at Kansas City, 1 pm

Buffalo has a road-heavy second half of the campaign, so a young Bills team needs to keep up its energy and composure against the Chiefs and their intimidating Arrowhead Stadium crowd. Hopefully they also lay off the mouth-watering local BBQ until after the game, too.

Week 13: Sunday, Dec. 6, Houston, 1 pm

While the Texans have a pretty balanced roster, they are missing a starting QB perhaps even more than the Bills are, and for that reason I like Buffalo’s chances in this late-season home game.

Week 14: Sunday, Dec. 13, at Philadelphia, 1 pm

The Eagles have talent and an innovator in head coach Chip Kelly, but with injury-prone Sam Bradford under center, it’s possible that Philly will be rolling out Mark Sanchez as the starter. Eagles long-time leading rusher LeSean McCoy also got traded to Buffalo in the off-season for LB Kiko Alonso. Intriguing narrative here, for sure.

Week 15: Sunday, Dec. 20 at Washington, 1 pm

With the state of DC pro football, you should be able to lick Washington, even on the road. If you can’t, you shouldn’t have serious postseason aspirations.

[dfads params=’groups=63752&limit=1&return_javascript=0′]

Week 16: Sunday, Dec. 27, Dallas, 1 pm

In a rematch of a couple of Super Bowl clashes in the early ’90s, Buffalo sincerely hopes to not get embarrassed like it did those years ago. Dallas is nearly as good as those championship teams, too. At least the Bills will have the Orchard Park weather on their side.

Week 17: Sunday, Jan. 3 2016, N.Y. Jets, 1 pm

To be sure, this is a fitting end to an exciting schedule of games for the Bills this season. It would be a major feather in the cap for Ryan if he can beat his old team in the season’s final game – even more so if it vaults Buffalo into the postseason. And you know what? – it might.

More NFL Teams Schedule / Pick Posts

 
Arizona Cardinals Seattle Seahawks New York Jets
New York Giants San Francisco 49ers Buffalo Bills
St. Louis Rams Carolina Panthers New England Patriots
Tampa Bay Bucs New Orleans Saints Indianapolis Colts
Atlanta Falcons Kansas City Chiefs Tennessee Titans
San Diego Chargers Miami Dolphins Cleveland Browns
Green Bay Packers Washington Redskins Cincinnati Bengals
Philadelphia Eagles Dallas Cowboys Baltimore Ravens
Oakland Raiders Detroit Lions Pittsburgh Steelers
Denver Broncos Minnesota Vikings Chicago Bears
Jacksonville Jaguars Houston Texans

The 2015 NFL futures betting season is right around the corner! If you like to bet on the NFL, you are in the best possible place for online betting.

CappersPicks.com has NFL odds up on a ton of futures, and you will also find NFL lines up for early games as well.

[dfads params=’groups=63706&limit=1&return_javascript=0′]

By James Hayes

James has been naming every player on the EA Sports video game rosters for half a decade now, he’s finally putting his knowledge to better use writing for us here at CappersPicks.com. Your comments are welcome below…Give Us Your Take!