Three Biggest Games: Buffalo Bills

It’s been an up-and-down offseason in Buffalo to say the least. On the one hand, the team re-signed quarterback Tyrod Taylor to a long-term deal; a rare luxury for a team that has hardly boasted a stable signal caller since Jim Kelly. On the other, Marcell Dareus was suspended four games. Rookie standout Karlos Williams couldn’t cut the weight, so the team cut him. And Rex Ryan could be down to his last chance to prove these Bills winners.

Week 4 at New England

The Bills will be fortunate enough to first meet the 2016 Patriots during the final week of Tom Brady’s four-game suspension. By week 4, one would expect nightwatchman Jimmy Garoppolo to have formed some sort of rapport with the starting offense, but Tom Terrific he is not. It’s also the final week of Dareus’ suspension, meaning the Bills front seven will need someone to step up, bring pressure and keep the Patriots from dinking and dunking all afternoon.

Week 9 at Seattle

This interconference affair on Monday night in Seattle is Buffalo’s only primetime fixture of the year, not including the mandatory game every team gets on Thursday Night Football. The two teams ended 2015 with opposite trajectories, but there was a time last season when the Bills seemed to be emulating the Seahawks’ plan for success: a mobile quarterback comfortable throwing in the pocket and a defense built on frequent pressure. The first man to balk between Tyrod Taylor and Russell Wilson may cost his team dearly.

Week 17 at NY Jets

For the first time in a decade, the road to the playoffs may not go solely through the wild card for anyone in the AFC East sans New England. But assuming the Pats do right the ship once Brady returns, the Bills and Jets could find themselves in a win-and-you’re-in scenario in the regular season’s final week. Last year, the Bills swept the season series by identical scores of 22-17. Included in the bragging rights was a backbreaking interception made on Gang Green’s final drive: one that extinguished New York’s hope of a fairytale campaign and sent Steeler Nation into a frenzy. The Jets won’t have forgotten that defeat, but vengeance may be the furthest thing on their mind with the playoffs beckoning.