NFL Scheduler Really Hated the Bills this Year

[Lost]

7 hours ago, transplantbillsfan said:

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

 

We played like dog poo after our bye last year

[SoCal Deek]

There two sides to this coin. While you can say we’re hurt by playing the better teams on the road, you could also say we benefit by piling up wins against lesser teams at home. So…I don’t buy the victimhood narrative. 

[Dr. K]

They just need to win the games. They easily could have beaten the Jags, the Jets, the Pats. Despite whatever injuries or drawbacks they've had, they ought to be 7-1 or 6-2 at the worst right now. 

[babulator]

Scheduling is now done by AI. I'm sure the league makes some adjustments or vetoes different outcomes, but my understanding is that AI Models all of the scheduling now.

[Matt_In_NH]

1 hour ago, Lost said:

 

We played like dog poo after our bye last year

If KC was coming off their bye to play the Bills there would be multiple threads on that one topic.

[nuiwek]

15 hours ago, PromoTheRobot said:

 

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

If were not in at least 77.34% of national games, are we really liked?

[Drew21PA]

No excuses go WIN

[Never NEVER Give-up]

Bills have only themselves to blame for poor showings against the Jets and Patriots.  Even if you forgive them for London, they should still be at 1 loss, not 3!

[MikePJ76]

15 hours ago, Matt_In_NH said:

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.  

what is wrong with the late bye?

Jerry once declared Dallas will never play a home game in london.  He said a bunch of stuff basically he was saying do u know who i am?

 

they have played over their once I believe vs jax in 2014.   Pretty sure they have never lost a home game to europe.  Not sure ny or philly have either.

[Ya Digg?]

18 minutes ago, MikePJ76 said:

Jerry once declared Dallas will never play a home game in london.  He said a bunch of stuff basically he was saying do u know who i am?

 

they have played over their once I believe vs jax in 2014.   Pretty sure they have never lost a home game to europe.  Not sure ny or philly have either.

I believe every team has to play at least 1 home game in Europe every 8 years or something like that. Jerry is powerful, but the other owners aren’t going to let him not have to give up a home game while everyone else does 

[BillsFan692]

15 hours 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.

The "3 you cant tell" could be Philly, KC, Bengals lol 

Edited November 4, 2023 by BillsFan692

[Chandler#81]

On the other hand, the Bills -and Josh Allen I particular- are considered must watch tv. Nationally and globally! They’re incredibly entertaining. 
Face it, these are the Best of times. Deal with it. It will likely be another terrible drought when Josh retires.

[Don Otreply]

I’m tellin ya, its the smoking man, the guy has it in for us, I’ve seen the video evidence…,

[GunnerBill]

1 hour ago, BillsFan692 said:

The "3 you cant tell" could be Philly, KC, Bengals lol 

 

If you are a good team your 3 non-common games are tougher. Life in the NFL.

[bigK14094]

There has always been an anti Buffalo fan bias in the NFL...look back 30 years and see how mnay home games the locals got in Sept, Oct, Nov, Dec.  On average, it is biased to home games in cold weather.  Level would be 2 home in each, but it doesn't happen that way in my experience. 

[Big Blitz]

Should have beat the Jets and NE and we’d be 7-1 and not care.  

[BigDingus]

I actually think the schedule turned out a bit better than it originally appeared before the season. 

 

The Bills had the 7th toughest strength of schedule going into the season (Dolphins had #2), but that's based off the previous year's results. While some teams are outpacing their last year's results, others are worse than expected.

 

9-7 Giants (currently 2-6)

8-9 Patriots x 2 (currently 2-6)

10-7 Chargers (currently 3-4)

 

You also have teams that are better than last year (like the Dolphins & even the Jets), so it mostly balances out. But yes, playing the Bengals, Chiefs & Eagles on the road sucks! 

 

Unfortunately, the Bills have the 3rd most difficult strength of schedule remaining (based on current win% of opponents), so this will show us how legit this team truly is.

[4merper4mer]

Watch these clowns give us the shaft again next year.  They’ll probably make us travel to Seattle or somewhere far away like that.

[Thurman#1]

A late bye is helpful. Means you're fresher going into the playoffs. That's a plus, I think. I was happy when I saw that.

[Utah John]

There are a couple of issues at play.  Which teams the Bills play in a given year is predetermined, as far as the ranking of each team in their own division the previous year.  There's no favoritism going on.  Same thing for which team is at home and which is away for a given game.  The NFL's goal was to eliminate the perception of unfairness.

 

But, there's nothing in those procedures that says when teams will play each other.  There have been years when the Bills started the season mostly against top-ranked opponents, making it hard to avoid a losing record at the halfway point.  In other years the Bills play a softer schedule early with the hard games later -- like this year, except the Bills screwed the pooch by losing games they should have won easily.  

1 hour ago, BigDingus said:

I actually think the schedule turned out a bit better than it originally appeared before the season. 

 

The Bills had the 7th toughest strength of schedule going into the season (Dolphins had #2), but that's based off the previous year's results. While some teams are outpacing their last year's results, others are worse than expected.

 

9-7 Giants (currently 2-6)

8-9 Patriots x 2 (currently 2-6)

10-7 Chargers (currently 3-4)

 

You also have teams that are better than last year (like the Dolphins & even the Jets), so it mostly balances out. But yes, playing the Bengals, Chiefs & Eagles on the road sucks! 

 

Unfortunately, the Bills have the 3rd most difficult strength of schedule remaining (based on current win% of opponents), so this will show us how legit this team truly is.

Agreed.  If the Bills are truly SB contenders, they should do OK against the best teams in the league. Maybe not win them all, but win their share.  

[Thurman#1]

1 hour ago, bigK14094 said:

There has always been an anti Buffalo fan bias in the NFL...look back 30 years and see how mnay home games the locals got in Sept, Oct, Nov, Dec.  On average, it is biased to home games in cold weather.  Level would be 2 home in each, but it doesn't happen that way in my experience. 

 

 

Home games at home in cold weather were manna from heaven for those teams. We could take it and the cold weather teams really couldn't.

 

Kelly had no trouble playing in cold weather. Those were advantages.

 

Disagree. I don't think there's been much of an anti-Buffalo fan bias beyond the hate that successful teams (see the Pats) always get.

[Matt_In_NH]

4 hours ago, Ya Digg? said:

I believe every team has to play at least 1 home game in Europe every 8 years or something like that. Jerry is powerful, but the other owners aren’t going to let him not have to give up a home game while everyone else does 

I see no evidence they have ever played a home game over there.  They did play the Jags in 2014 but that was a Jags home game.   What you said is what should happen.

Edited November 4, 2023 by Matt_In_NH

[Bills aPHILLYate]

13 hours ago, BillsGuyOutWest said:

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. 

I think some are conflating two perceptions.

Yes the schedule is basically predetermined due to divisions and prior season finishes. 

With that being a known, you can still see some unfavorable things amongst that schedule and be fully aware of how scheduling works. 

I didn't think anyone is complaining about the teams played...just how the schedule turned out. 

I don't see it as an indicator of Fandom or knowledge of how the game goes.

[PBF81]

19 hours ago, Ya Digg? said:

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?”

 

Even further out.  Opponents are known years in advance with the exceptions of the two in-conference opponents and one NFC opponent based upon the place is the finish.  

 

 

[Paup 1995MVP]

21 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.

Good teams win at home and on the road.  

 

[Caesar]

12 minutes ago, Paup 1995MVP said:

Good teams win at home and on the road.  

 

This is true, as a Bengals fan I usually complain about KC as much as possible.  They seem to catch every single "break"... be it true or not.  

[Paup 1995MVP]

1 minute ago, Caesar said:

This is true, as a Bengals fan I usually complain about KC as much as possible.  They seem to catch every single "break"... be it true or not.  

The Chiefs very rarely play a prime time game on the road.  The NFL seems to love games at night in Arrowhead Stadium.  

[Bruce200]

Notice how the league often puts the Bills on the road at nigh time against teams with good quarterbacks or teams that are near the top of the league. It’s harder to play teams on the road at night because the other teams fans and players are more hyped up for the game.. Emotion plays a major factor in games. If you can get a small market team to lose an extra game or two it can mean the difference between home field advantage and getting to the Super Bowl. This year we play the Jets, Bengals and Chargers at night on the road, all good teams with good Quarterbacks. There is also a possibility that a fourth road game against Miami could be flexed to a night game. Add in the London “home game” against the Jaguars and this is how you stack the deck against a team and make the road as hard as possible.

Edited November 5, 2023 by Bruce200

[JoPoy88]

23 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. 

Excuses. Home/Away follows a set formula. 

[BigAl2526]

Supposedly, the home and away games are all assigned according to some formula, and it should balance out over the years.  I'm still waiting.  The London game was a clear and obvious screw job by the league.  The only consolation is I don't think the league can do that to the Bills again in the next couple of years.  Buffalo goes back to 8 home games next year, but I'll be shocked if the league deliberately robs Buffalo of their extra home game in 2025.

[todd]

Bills used to get so screwed with schedule. I remember we used to be one of the top two teams being forced to play teams after they had a bye. Esp the Pats. That really doesn't happen any more so I think it is better now. Compared to how bad the Bills used to get screwed, I think our schedule is fair. Rarely are the bills put at a huge disadvantage multiple times a season they way we used to be.

[C.Biscuit97]

We are still crying about stuff like this? The Chiefs, the SB champs, have to lose a home game to Germany and play a top 5 team. 
 

blaming the schedule for anything is wack. 

[Boatdrinks]

On 11/3/2023 at 6:58 PM, Bills aPHILLYate said:

 

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.

 

 

 

The Bills could have chosen to have their bye after the London trip. They declined to do so in hopes of a later bye week. 

4 hours ago, Paup 1995MVP said:

The Chiefs very rarely play a prime time game on the road.  The NFL seems to love games at night in Arrowhead Stadium.  

This is the part of the schedule that is definitely not determined far in advance. 

[Dr.Sack]

I believe the amount of games we play were the opposing team has a rest advantage is significant. The Cincy game is one of the few games where we have an advantage

[SoMAn]

And the Bills get a night game, on the road, the day that the clocks get set back an hour, so by the start of the 4th quarter it’ll feel like it’s going on midnight. There might be some heavy eyelids on the visitor’s side tonight. Hell, I’ll need an afternoon nap to stay awake.

It doesn’t help that I had to get up at 2am to change all my clocks and watches.  

[Nephilim17]

Can we find the NFL scheduler and throw him a blanket party?

[Punching Bag]

Don't forget that the Bills are on Peacock Saturday, Dec 23 at 8p ET between the Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Chargers.

I will be on road that day so likely will just listen to it.

No other fans need to pay for that game.  I hope the playoff game on Peacock is between NFC teams.