NFL Scheduler Really Hated the Bills this Year

[IronyAbounds]

Lots of teams get tough schedules every year, some of which is dictated by the team's results from the prior year, so the Bills getting a tough schedule this year isn't surprising. However, it appears the Bills got an extra dose of difficult. Their most difficult non-divisional games are on the road (Dallas being the exception), a game overseas with the Bills being the guinea pig of Goodell's London scheduling "experiment," and a late bye. The one bright spot was the early season Miami game being in Buffalo rather than Miami like last year. I don't know how much human input there is in the schedule making, but it seems the Bills got the short end of the stick this year. 

[Coach Tuesday]

[Billzgobowlin]

9 minutes ago, IronyAbounds said:

Lots of teams get tough schedules every year, some of which is dictated by the team's results from the prior year, so the Bills getting a tough schedule this year isn't surprising. However, it appears the Bills got an extra dose of difficult. Their most difficult non-divisional games are on the road (Dallas being the exception), a game overseas with the Bills being the guinea pig of Goodell's London scheduling "experiment," and a late bye. The one bright spot was the early season Miami game being in Buffalo rather than Miami like last year. I don't know how much human input there is in the schedule making, but it seems the Bills got the short end of the stick this year. 

Not only that but London was one of our home games

[stinky finger]

10 minutes ago, IronyAbounds said:

Lots of teams get tough schedules every year, some of which is dictated by the team's results from the prior year, so the Bills getting a tough schedule this year isn't surprising. However, it appears the Bills got an extra dose of difficult. Their most difficult non-divisional games are on the road (Dallas being the exception), a game overseas with the Bills being the guinea pig of Goodell's London scheduling "experiment," and a late bye. The one bright spot was the early season Miami game being in Buffalo rather than Miami like last year. I don't know how much human input there is in the schedule making, but it seems the Bills got the short end of the stick this year. 

This sounds like a defense mechanism used by those who fear the worst.

[Bills aPHILLYate]

Initially I absolutely loathed the schedule because of this particular 4 game stretch plus the late bye.

 

Good thing is that Den and NYJ should present easier match-ups between Cincy and Philly. 

 

I'm still not fond of playing Cincy, Philly, and KC on the road though. 

[chongli]

6 hours ago, IronyAbounds said:

Lots of teams get tough schedules every year, some of which is dictated by the team's results from the prior year, so the Bills getting a tough schedule this year isn't surprising. However, it appears the Bills got an extra dose of difficult. Their most difficult non-divisional games are on the road (Dallas being the exception), a game overseas with the Bills being the guinea pig of Goodell's London scheduling "experiment," and a late bye. The one bright spot was the early season Miami game being in Buffalo rather than Miami like last year. I don't know how much human input there is in the schedule making, but it seems the Bills got the short end of the stick this year. 

 

A late bye is a good thing to rest before the playoffs. We get a late bye before KC and a mid-season mini-bye before Cincy. Home and road is also re-determined years in advance.

 

No bias.

Edited November 4, 2023 by chongli

[Zag20]

Don’t show this thread to any of the dolphins fans on twitter 

[PromoTheRobot]

20 minutes ago, IronyAbounds said:

Lots of teams get tough schedules every year, some of which is dictated by the team's results from the prior year, so the Bills getting a tough schedule this year isn't surprising. However, it appears the Bills got an extra dose of difficult. Their most difficult non-divisional games are on the road (Dallas being the exception), a game overseas with the Bills being the guinea pig of Goodell's London scheduling "experiment," and a late bye. The one bright spot was the early season Miami game being in Buffalo rather than Miami like last year. I don't know how much human input there is in the schedule making, but it seems the Bills got the short end of the stick this year. 

 

They hate the Bills. That's why they are on like half the national games.

[Matt_In_NH]

Does the NFL make all teams play a home game overseas over time?  NE is 'home" Sunday in Germany vs the Chiefs but I dont think the Cowboys have played a home team overseas....any other teams?

 

The schedule is predetermined in terms of who you play and where based on rotations and records from last year.  It turned out the schedule for the AFC East was difficult because of the nature of how they rotate divisions, it happens.  I dont agree the "scheduler" screwed the Bills in any way.  And there is no scheduler, it uses human input and a computer to optimize it for revenues but it is a highly complex undertaking where many factors are considered.  Teams can provide inputs they want, for instance play Miami earlier in the season in Buffalo but there are not guarantees.  They have to randomize home and away games...cant have a team with 6 stright home games for instance, they have to plan around blackouts at stadiums, shared stadiums and a myriad of other issues.   People love to B word is the bottom line, there is no way you can make people happy.   I have seen people complain they want Miami in Buffalo late in the season.  

10 minutes ago, Bills aPHILLYate said:

plus the late bye.

what is wrong with the late bye?

[BillsfaninSB]

7 minutes ago, chongli said:

 

A late bye is a good thing to rest before the playoffs. We get a late bye before KC and a late mini-bye before Cincy. Home and road is also re-determined years in advance.

 

No bias.

Agreed.   Last 10 Super Bowl winners had late bye weeks.

Schedule is an algorithm basically.  The only thing we can complain about is the London game.  Bills were culpable to some extent leaving so dang late.   Ravens left on a Monday. 

 

[strive_for_five_guy]

4 minutes ago, BillsfaninSB said:

Agreed.   Last 10 Super Bowl winners had late bye weeks.

Schedule is an algorithm basically.  The only thing we can complain about is the London game.  Bills were culpable to some extent leaving so dang late.   Ravens left on a Monday. 

 

Agree, the algorithm was set years ago.  Considering our matchups, I think we were actually pretty lucky with some of the setup.  We are getting extra time leading into two of our biggest AFC games, Bengals and Chiefs.  My understanding is that team’s normally prefer the late bye as well, for use when they are more banged up versus earlier in the season.

[Caesar]

29 minutes ago, Bills aPHILLYate said:

Initially I absolutely loathed the schedule because of this particular 4 game stretch plus the late bye.

 

Good thing is that Den and NYJ should present easier match-ups between Cincy and Philly. 

 

I'm still not fond of playing Cincy, Philly, and KC on the road though. 

Bengals have 49ers, Jags and KC on the road, not quite as bad.  

Poor KC has the Lions, Bills, Bengals, Eagles all at their place..... interesting algorithm the NFL has.

[Punching Bag]

45 minutes ago, IronyAbounds said:

Lots of teams get tough schedules every year, some of which is dictated by the team's results from the prior year, so the Bills getting a tough schedule this year isn't surprising. However, it appears the Bills got an extra dose of difficult. Their most difficult non-divisional games are on the road (Dallas being the exception), a game overseas with the Bills being the guinea pig of Goodell's London scheduling "experiment," and a late bye. The one bright spot was the early season Miami game being in Buffalo rather than Miami like last year. I don't know how much human input there is in the schedule making, but it seems the Bills got the short end of the stick this year. 

 

Blame AWS.  They can make mistakes quickly in what used to take months.

[GunnerBill]

13 minutes ago, Caesar said:

Bengals have 49ers, Jags and KC on the road, not quite as bad.  

Poor KC has the Lions, Bills, Bengals, Eagles all at their place..... interesting algorithm the NFL has.

 

That isn't as fix it is the way if works. I can tell ypu 14 of the Bills 17 games in 2028 right here right now and while I can't tell you exact opponents in the other 3 I can tell you home or road games. 

 

Sometimes you get lucky, sometimes you don't in terms of catching the two divisions you play in good or bad years.

[Bills aPHILLYate]

28 minutes ago, Matt_In_NH said:

 

what is wrong with the late bye?

 

Nothing technically wrong. I'm just a fan of mid-season byes more than late or extremely early. 

It's a brutal game so to me 12 weeks with no breaks can present a lot of challenges.

Especially if you're a contender. 

I'm sure it builds some mental fortitude  and evens itself out in some regard though.

 

 

 

[dma0034]

I mean the two most important games that aren't the Dolphins the Bills get extra time before (Bengals and Chiefs)

[PBF81]

To date we've had the second easiest schedule in the league.  Only Miami's had an easier one.  

 

 

[Ya Digg?]

I love these threads, especially during the season. First, to think the schedule makers sat around and said “how can we make this really tough on the Bills and only them-let’s get them the worst!”

Second, everyone knew who the Bills were playing against and where they were playing ever since last season ended. Don’t understand why there’s such shock about it.

Third, how come it’s always just complaining and no answers-what would have made this schedule any “easier?”

[fasteddie]

1 hour ago, BillsfaninSB said:

Agreed.   Last 10 Super Bowl winners had late bye weeks.

Schedule is an algorithm basically.  The only thing we can complain about is the London game.  Bills were culpable to some extent leaving so dang late.   Ravens left on a Monday. 

 

KC traveled today. We'll see how that works.

[BillsfaninSB]

7 minutes ago, fasteddie said:

KC traveled today. We'll see how that works.

interesting.   Germany is even further away. 

[fasteddie]

Just now, BillsfaninSB said:

interesting.   Germany is even further away. 

11 hr. flight!

[Chaos]

55 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

 

That isn't as fix it is the way if works. I can tell ypu 14 of the Bills 17 games in 2028 right here right now and while I can't tell you exact opponents in the other 3 I can tell you home or road games. 

 

Sometimes you get lucky, sometimes you don't in terms of catching the two divisions you play in good or bad years.

There is actually no formula for randomly assigning home games to teams, that are playing in europe against a team that has actually been there for a full extra week, and has fostered a decade+ of building a fanbase in your temporary "home" city.  That scheduling gem alone, qualifies the original poster as making a fully accurate assessment. 

[Bferra13]

Can't be losing to the Jets and Patriots. Win those games and then all I'm complaining about is that London game bs.

[msw2112]

16 minutes ago, Chaos said:

There is actually no formula for randomly assigning home games to teams, that are playing in europe against a team that has actually been there for a full extra week, and has fostered a decade+ of building a fanbase in your temporary "home" city.  That scheduling gem alone, qualifies the original poster as making a fully accurate assessment. 

 

Most of this is true, but there were way more Bills fans at the game than Jags fans.  I was one of them.  This is who was at the game, in order:

 

1.  Bills fans

2. NFL football fans who live in Europe/the UK who came to see a live NFL game, regardless of who their favorite team is

3. Jags fans

 

So it's true that the Jags got an extra week to adjust to the time zone, but the fact that the Jags have adopted London as their 2nd home was not an advantage at least not against a team with a fanbase like the Bills have.

 

The Bills should have left on Monday, or Tuesday at the latest.  Leaving on Friday may not be the only reason they lost, but it certainly contributed to them coming out very flat and not being sharp for most/all of the game.  I got there before they did, and I was jetlagged well past the time they left.

[Ed_Formerly_of_Roch]

2 hours ago, IronyAbounds said:

Lots of teams get tough schedules every year, some of which is dictated by the team's results from the prior year, so the Bills getting a tough schedule this year isn't surprising. However, it appears the Bills got an extra dose of difficult. Their most difficult non-divisional games are on the road (Dallas being the exception), a game overseas with the Bills being the guinea pig of Goodell's London scheduling "experiment," and a late bye. The one bright spot was the early season Miami game being in Buffalo rather than Miami like last year. I don't know how much human input there is in the schedule making, but it seems the Bills got the short end of the stick this year. 

 

Who every team plays home and away has nothing to do with a scheduler.  That is predetermined years in advance and based on what place they finish in.  Yes the exact order does have more manual intervention, but as the commercial states, it's still mostly done by computer

 

As for the late bye, recall reading the Bills requested that. They could have had it after returning from London, but instead requested it for later.  

 

They also requested to play their overseas game sometime either this year or next as didn't want to lose a home game once the new stadium opened.

 

The only real thing they got screwed on was that Jax got to stay in London the week prior.

[nedboy7]

The only hate I see towards the Bills is from the same handful of posters on here. 

[Charles Romes]

They certainly got the short end of the stick having to play in London against a rested Jags team.  They did catch a break getting to play the Bengals after a mini-bye and the Chiefs after a bye. 

Edited November 4, 2023 by Charles Romes

[zow2]

The London game, arriving late against a rested and body clock adjusted Jags was my only complaint.  I have about 50 posts leading up to that game and knew it would be a disaster,,, and then the injuries too.

 

The Bills under Allen have been a pretty solid road team. Bad results this year at NY and NE are not the norm.  Even though the schedule looks rough,  i honestly don’t think any of these teams are so good they cannot be beaten.  The Bills will win a few of these…just not sure which ones @Cinci @Phil @KC , Dal, @LAC @Mia

 

 

[Marcus Aurelius]

3 hours ago, stinky finger said:

This sounds like a defense mechanism used by those who fear the worst.

 

Psychiatrist?

[chongli]

2 hours ago, Ya Digg? said:

I love these threads, especially during the season.

 

Wait until KC week and hundreds of threads pop up asking why we always play KC on the road.

[Aimee75]

5 hours ago, IronyAbounds said:

Lots of teams get tough schedules every year, some of which is dictated by the team's results from the prior year, so the Bills getting a tough schedule this year isn't surprising. However, it appears the Bills got an extra dose of difficult. Their most difficult non-divisional games are on the road (Dallas being the exception), a game overseas with the Bills being the guinea pig of Goodell's London scheduling "experiment," and a late bye. The one bright spot was the early season Miami game being in Buffalo rather than Miami like last year. I don't know how much human input there is in the schedule making, but it seems the Bills got the short end of the stick this year. 

Been feeling the same way about this. Even worse, all the tough games were clustered together. Just a brutal schedule, and so tired of playing the really good teams on the road all the time. Going to KC, Philly and Cincy is just brutal.

[MJS]

Cry me a river. Every home and away game is pre-determined based on rotation and ranking. The schedule makers don't decide a single thing. It is only the order.

 

Having a late bye is a GOOD thing. Having extra rest late in the season is an advantage.

 

The Bills going to London sucks, but they haven't had to do it for awhile. A bunch of teams have to do it. Sometimes the Bills are going to have to do it.

 

There's nothing wrong with the schedule.

2 hours ago, chongli said:

Wait until KC week and hundreds of threads pop up asking why we always play KC on the road.

So cringe worthy. Grown men who follow the NFL should know how the schedule rotation works. They literally think that the NFL just chooses the games on a whim, or something...

[transplantbillsfan]

One could also argue we got a bit of a break with a mini bye before Cincinnati and a full bye before Kansas City 

[BillsGuyOutWest]

1 hour ago, MJS said:

Cry me a river. Every home and away game is pre-determined based on rotation and ranking. The schedule makers don't decide a single thing. It is only the order.

 

Having a late bye is a GOOD thing. Having extra rest late in the season is an advantage.

 

The Bills going to London sucks, but they haven't had to do it for awhile. A bunch of teams have to do it. Sometimes the Bills are going to have to do it.

 

There's nothing wrong with the schedule.

So cringe worthy. Grown men who follow the NFL should know how the schedule rotation works. They literally think that the NFL just chooses the games on a whim, or something...

Exactly this post.
 

The NFL schedule, a nefarious process so devious, mysterious and hard to understand the Bills literally post it on their website at least a year in advance:

 

https://www.buffalobills.com/schedule/future-opponents

 

Seriously, if someone proclaims to be a fan for years and hasn’t figured this out yet then it’s embarrassing. 

Edited November 4, 2023 by BillsGuyOutWest

[GunnerBill]

5 hours ago, Chaos said:

There is actually no formula for randomly assigning home games to teams, that are playing in europe against a team that has actually been there for a full extra week, and has fostered a decade+ of building a fanbase in your temporary "home" city.  That scheduling gem alone, qualifies the original poster as making a fully accurate assessment. 

 

Yes the London scheduling was not favourable. 

[Doc Brown]

9 hours ago, Caesar said:

Bengals have 49ers, Jags and KC on the road, not quite as bad.  

Poor KC has the Lions, Bills, Bengals, Eagles all at their place..... interesting algorithm the NFL has.

They set this schedule format up in 2002.  That's amazing foresight if they planned on favoring the six year old Patrick Mahomes

[Ethan in Cleveland]

Bills screwed themselves.  They should have been 8-0 or 7-1 at the worst. Now they have 3 conference losses. This week may seal their fate. A loss to Cinci would be a key WC tie-breaker and yet another conference loss, should the Bills not win the division. 

A win this week and they should be in the running for a playoff spot all the way to week 17.

[John from Riverside]

The London game was unfortunate

 

it just means we need to beat a tougher team on our schedule to make up for it

[gjv]

My understanding is the Bills had a choice to take their bye week after the London game or week 13. 

[JerseyBills]

i actually love the late bye. 

Almost positive teams playing overseas were given the option to have a bye the following week.