Editor's note: NFL.com is breaking down all 32 team schedules for the 2020 season. Here are the three games Buffalo Bills fans should circle on their calendars this fall:
New England Patriots at Buffalo Bills, Week 8, Nov. 1, 1 p.m. ET (CBS)
The Bills enter 2020 coming off their first 10-win season of the new millennium, two short-lived Wild Card bids within the past three years, and now one of the favorites to win the division. The post-Tom Brady era in New England brings opportunity for the Bills, who haven't claimed an AFC East title since 1995, and have even failed to beat the Patriots in Buffalo since 2011. Bills fans would be hard-pressed to find a more meaningful game on the calendar, and it could be the most important win for the franchise in decades should it help raise a division-winning banner. Just think of the celebration "Bills Mafia" would have with that sequence of events unfolding. They've certainly had enough practice unfolding all those tables.
Buffalo Bills at San Francisco 49ers, Week 13, Dec. 7, Monday Night Football, 8:15 p.m. ET (ESPN)
It's a daunting matchup for any team in the NFL, but this may be one special date circled by Bills quarterback Josh Allen. Growing up in Firebaugh, Calif., Allen once dreamed of playing for the 49ers as a kid, and now the 23-year-old has a chance to beat the NFC's powerhouse with his friends and family watching nearby. In his first two years as the starting QB, Allen has been erratic to say the least. Especially on the road. From his impressive performance in Dallas on Thanksgiving Day last year to a woeful trip in Green Bay his rookie season, and everything rolled into the Bills' Wild Card Weekend loss in Houston this past January, Allen is a harbinger of drama.
Kansas City Chiefs at Buffalo Bills, Week 6, Oct. 15, Thursday Night Football, 8:20 p.m. ET (FOX/NFLN/Amazon)
The Bills' stingy defense will get the ultimate test when Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs come to town for a prime-time battle. The squad finished top-four in the NFL in passing yards and passing touchdowns allowed and were second in points allowed in 2019 while the Chiefs' offense finished top-5 in passing yards and points per game in their Super Bowl-winning campaign. Cornerback Tre'Davious White, who earned first-team All-Pro honors last year, will be playing with a new contract in mind and alongside an upgraded defense that includes free-agent additions DE Mario Addison, CB Josh Norman, DT Vernon Butler and LB A.J. Klein, among others. Young play-makers like Tremaine Edmunds and Ed Oliver will only improve in head coach Sean McDermott's well-constructed defense, but how it holds up to the high-flying Chiefs remains to be seen.
Check out the full Bills schedule below:
Sept. 13 vs. New York Jets, 1 p.m. (CBS)
Sept. 20 at Miami Dolphins, 1 p.m. (CBS)
Sept. 27 vs. Los Angeles Rams, 1 p.m. (FOX)
Oct. 4 at Las Vegas Raiders, 4:25 p.m. (CBS)
Oct. 11 at Tennessee Titans, 1 p.m. (CBS)
Oct. 15 vs. Kansas City Chiefs, 8:20 p.m. (FOX/NFL Network/Amazon*)
Oct. 25 at New York Jets, 1 p.m. (CBS)
Nov. 1 vs. New England Patriots, 1 p.m. (CBS)
Nov. 8 vs. Seattle Seahawks, 1 p.m. (FOX)
Nov. 15 at Arizona Cardinals, 1 p.m. (CBS)
Nov. 22 -- BYE
Nov. 29 vs. Los Angeles Chargers, 1 p.m. (CBS)
Dec. 7 at San Francisco 49ers, 8:15 p.m. (ESPN)
Dec. 13 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, 8:20 p.m. (NBC)
Dec. 19 or 20 at Denver Broncos, TBD (TBD)
Dec. 28 at New England Patriots, 8:15 p.m. (ESPN)
Jan. 3 vs. Miami Dolphins, 1 p.m. (CBS)
- Sunday night games in Weeks 5-16 subject to change; Week 17 game TBD
**NFL Network and Amazon simulcast subject to change
