Buffalo Rumblings
The Buffalo Bills head into the 2025 NFL season as a top contender in the AFC. They’re a good team made of hard-working players and an accomplished head coach. The Bills also boast a perennial NFL MVP candidate in quarterback Josh Allen, who has led Buffalo to six straight playoff appearances and five consecutive AFC East titles.
Coming off a 13-4 record in 2024 and averaging 30.9 points per game, the Bills are expected to dominate the regular season once again. Despite last year’s success and the schedule that follows such campaigns, Buffalo’s 2025 schedule is currently ranked as the fifth easiest based on Vegas win totals. To be clear, the rest of the AFC East hasn’t done much to slow down the Bills and Allen.
However, for all their regular-season success, Buffalo’s postseason story has been one of heartbreak, particularly in four losses to the Kansas City Chiefs since 2020. The biggest question for 2025 isn’t whether the Bills will win 12 or 13 games — fans expect that.
The question is whether Josh Allen, whose playoff performances have been elite, will finally get the support he needs from his coaching staff, playmakers, and special teams to overcome past failures and deliver a Super Bowl. With new additions on offense, a revamped defense, and some coaching staff additions, the Bills aim to address these shortcomings, but the answer won’t come until January.
Buffalo’s regular-season prowess is undeniable. Since 2020, they’ve averaged 11.7 wins per season, with Allen throwing for 4,262 yards and 40 touchdowns in 2024 while adding 763 rushing yards and six scores. Analysts project another strong campaign, with Buffalo favored to go 12-5 or better and secure another AFC East title.
The offense, led by offensive coordinator Joe Brady, has new weapons in wide receivers Joshua Palmer and Elijah Moore, joining second-year wide receiver Keon Coleman (56 catches, 689 yards in 2024) and the always reliable Khalil Shakir (76 catches, 821 yards, four touchdowns). Running back James Cook, fresh off an 18-touchdown season, anchors a ground game that ranked fifth in rushing yards per game (141.1) last year.
Defensively, the addition of edge rusher Joey Bosa and a new draft class focused on that side of the ball aims to bolster a unit that went through a revamp in 2024. But will that group finally be able to make a difference when January arrives?
The 2025 schedule offers winnable games against teams like the New England Patriots, Atlanta Falcons, and New Orleans Saints, with Buffalo projected to dominate divisional rivals like the Miami Dolphins (5-2 at Hard Rock Stadium since 2018) and New York Jets. Regular-season wins over tough opponents like the Houston Texans or Kansas City Chiefs — such as last year’s 30-21 victory over KC — will boost confidence but reveal little about playoff readiness.
The Bills’ shift from a pass-heavy attack (63% pass plays in 2020) to a balanced, run-focused offense (51% pass plays in 2024) has reduced...
