Predicting Every Game of the Buffalo Bills 2024 Season

SEPTEMBER 8 VS. ARIZONA 1:00 PM (CBS)

Memo to Bills: Don’t let this game come down to Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray’s Hail Mary throw. It didn’t work last time (Nov. 2020), remember? It’s critical for the Bills to get out of the gates with a short time frame in Week 2. The Bills are keeping Murray and likely rookie great Marvin Harrison Jr. under wraps to improve to 5-3 in Sean McDermott’s openers.

Jeff Bezos pays $1 billion a year to stream the NFL on Amazon Prime, so he might as well get the home opener. Bills-Dolphins meets that criteria and more. Two dynamic offenses that played in the wild card round in January 2023 and January 2024 for the division title (both won by the Bills). The best football commentator (Al Michaels) gets a thriller won by Miami.

SEPTEMBER 23 VS. JACKSONVILLE

Wanted: Someone from Western New York who can help the Bills solve the Jaguars. The Jaguars went 9-6 as 14½-point underdogs in 2021; it was Urban Meyer’s last win. Last year, the Jaguars were in complete control during a 25-20 victory in London. Looking ahead to a three-game road trip after that game, the Bills need to show up, respect the Jaguars and play with urgency.

Crab cakes and football; that’s what Maryland does! Or so the character “Flip” in “Wedding Crashers” says, so I’ll agree. Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has two MVP awards, but in a head-to-head matchup with Josh Allen, we’ll always take Allen. The Ravens have scored 24, 20 and three points in Jackson’s three starts against the Bills (1-2). Allen will run and pass for two touchdowns apiece.

Stefon Diggs Bowl. Everyone will be saying positive things about themselves before the game starts. McDermott-Diggs. Allen-Diggs. Diggs-Bills front office, Bills locker room-Diggs… you get the idea. But Stefon isn’t the Bills’ main problem. It’s quarterback C.J. Stroud, who will face them for the first time. Stroud will extend enough plays to throw three touchdowns (no Diggs, by the way) in a potential playoff preview.

The New Jersey swamp has been a home of horrors for Allen the past two years — a combined five interceptions and 10 sacks in two losses. ESPN likely asked for, and got, a replay after the Bills-Jets opener last season that saw Aaron Rodgers tear his Achilles on the opening drive. The Bills are coming off their first three-game road trip in nine years with a win, and Allen is playing without a turnover.

For the past few years, Titans coach Brian Callahan has been a Cincinnati offensive coordinator who hasn’t called plays and has watched Joe Burrow beat up the Bills defense. The good news for the Bills is that Callahan couldn’t take Burrow with him to Tennessee. The Bills can’t let two great defensive players, quarterback Jeffery Simmons and cornerback L’Jarius Sneed, ruin the game. There’s no time to rest for the Bills in this trap game.

Exhibit A that Allen is still in the first half of his career: The Bills’ trip to Seattle will be Allen’s first and the franchise’s first since 2016. When the Seahawks are good, you can literally feel the stadium shake. Great surroundings. Not that I’m getting old, but as a college student, I watched Tyler Lockett’s father, Aaron, from Seattle to Kansas State. Tyler catches the game-winning touchdown.

Two days before the presidential election and three days before the trade deadline, the Bills made the final announcement that general manager Brandon Beane should be the buyer, acquiring Nyheim Hines in 2022 and Rasul Douglas in 2023. Douglas intercepted a Tua Tagovailoa pass in the end zone with less than three minutes left and the Bills up about halftime, 6-3.

A great road trip for Bills fans. Downtown Indianapolis is convenient. Fly in, drive to your hotel and spend the weekend walking around — no rental car needed. Plenty of restaurants and bars to choose from, and Lucas Oil Stadium is a great venue. The Bills knock down sophomore quarterback Anthony Richardson four times to get to next week’s game against Kansas City.

Beating the Chiefs in the regular season wasn’t a problem for the Bills, as Allen is 3-1 with 11 touchdowns. The playoffs, as we know, sucked — 0-3 with 9 touchdowns for Allen. If they finish in the same spot in their divisions, the Chiefs will return to Orchard Park next year. The Chiefs will win this game on Patrick Mahomes’ fourth touchdown and send the Bills to a bye.

The Bills should take advantage of this bit of good luck in their schedule: The Bills are coming off a break, and San Francisco played Green Bay last week. The Bills turned their season around last year after a late break (5-0 after the break), and now they get their first look at 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy. Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid wins the tight end battle with George Kittle, catching six passes for 75 yards and two touchdowns.

The Rams are my pick to win the NFC West and reach the conference title game, even with the retirement of defensive end Aaron Donald. After being released by the Bills in early March, cornerback Tre’Davious White signed with the Rams. Allen vs. Matthew Stafford is a matchup of elite quarterbacks, and Stafford’s game-winning score on quarterback Puka Nacua sends the Bills home with their second loss on the West Coast.

On the afternoon of the April NFL Draft, I met a number of Bills fans from Western Ontario who made the short drive to downtown Detroit. Expect a crowd from all parts of the region for this CBS showcase game. The Lions’ star power is staggering, from quarterback Amon-Ra St. Brown and center Sam LaPorta to quarterback Aidan Hutchinson and rookie Terrion Arnold. A great lineup.

Two convenient predictions: At this point, the Patriots will be competing for the top pick in the draft, with rookie quarterback Drake Maye set to be their starter. Allen is 7-2 against the Patriots since Tom Brady left after the 2019 season. The Bills beat the Patriots to take a one-point lead over the Jets in the AFC East and secure a playoff berth for the sixth straight season.

If the Jets fall apart this season — and I predict they make the playoffs as a wild card — what’s next for Gang Green? A new GM, a new coach and a new quarterback? Maybe all of them. But trading and building around Aaron Rodgers was worth the gamble, and he has two dynamic receivers in Garrett Wilson and Mike Williams. The Bills win their fifth straight division title, holding off a late Jets rally.

The Patriots’ best chance would be to sign Celtics star Jayson Tatum to a one-day contract and throw him balls down the field, hoping for a catch or a penalty. Sweeping the Patriots will be key in a tight division race against the Dolphins and Jets. The Bills win over New England to secure the third seed in the AFC behind Kansas City and Cincinnati.

FINAL RECORD: 11-6 (1st place, AFC East).