Buffalo Rumblings
What’s the most likely scenario for the Bills to play at home in front of a national audience during the 2025 NFL season?
When will the Buffalo Bills play their first primetime game of the 2025 NFL season? The details about “when” the Bills’ will face their upcoming regular-season opponents has yet to be revealed, but there may be several clues as to which teams stand a fighter’s chance for main event exposure.
Perhaps a Kansas City Chiefs game to start the season? A seemingly far-off January matchup against the Baltimore Ravens with home field implications? Maybe a Thanksgiving Day game in Buffalo against the defending Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles?
The Bills have a plethora of powerhouse opponents coming to Orchard Park, NY this season, which also includes the Cincinnati Bengals and Miami Dolphins — the latter often giving Buffalo a decent test year after year. Now, all of these matchups could be worthy of a primetime slot in 2025 given the quarterback matchups alone. Add in this being the final season in Highmark Stadium and you have the perfect recipe for television at a national audience level.
The question doesn’t stop at what matchups will be primetime games as there will likely be at least a couple. The more important question is when these games will be played. History shows that these games could happen earlier than you believe.
Last season, Buffalo had primetime matchups in Weeks 2-5 and again in Week 6. Look for the NFL to follow a similar situation because they want both teams to be at their best and not have to worry about injuries or teams falling short of expectations.
Fans were “treated” to a Monday Night Football matchup last season between the Bengals and Dallas Cowboys in Week 14 that, on paper, seemed like a great matchup before the season. However we saw the Bengals struggling to breathe playoff life by that point and the Cowboys were... well the Cowboys, but also riddled with injuries. Even when the Bills hosted the San Francisco 49ers for Sunday Night Football the Niners were hardly at full strength. Running back Christian McCaffrey had just returned from injury and then re-aggravated his injury while they were missing starters all over the field.
The NFL wants as many eyes as possible when reigning NFL MVP Josh Allen takes on the likes of Joe Burrow and Jalen Hurts. The best way to do that is right out of the gates when the odds are best that both teams are as healthy as possible.
