Two games in, the Buffalo Bills have already put themselves in rare air. They’re 2-0, and the idea of a 17-0 season - something no NFL team has ever done - is no longer just a wild offseason thought. It’s right there on the board.
The setup helps. Buffalo has an easier, second-place schedule ahead, and Vegas has the Bills at 12.5 wins, which points to a team that should be favored more often than not. With that kind of runway, the path to perfection at least exists.
And it starts with a stretch that looks very manageable. The Chargers and Patriots come to Buffalo next, and if the Bills handle those two, they’d be staring at a 4-0 start.
After that comes a trip to Los Angeles to face the Rams, then a game in Vegas against the Raiders. Clear that run, and Buffalo could be sitting at 6-0.
From there, the schedule gets trickier, but only in spots. The games that stand out as the biggest tests are home dates with the Ravens on 11/1, the Chiefs on 11/26, and the Bears on 12/19.
If the Bills get through that three-game home gauntlet, they could be 14-0 before heading to Denver to face the Broncos. That would normally look like a spot where the streak could end, but after the way Buffalo looked last week against the Chiefs, they don’t seem nearly as intimidating.
If the Bills survive Denver, they’d be 15-0 with two games left: the Dolphins and the Jets. Both would be waiting to get a tee time by them. At that point, a perfect season would be firmly on the table.
Josh Allen is the engine behind all of it. Through two games, he looks like he’s on a mission.
Buffalo did allow 31 points against the Texans, but Houston has always been a house of horrors for Allen. Even so, the Bills still scored 36 against one of the league’s best defenses.
Then they followed that with a 40 burger. Their defense has given up 31 points in both games, and that could be the flaw that eventually trips them up.
But the offense is rolling at 38.5 points per game, and if that pace holds anywhere close, 17-0 is absolutely in play.
The numbers around Allen are already eye-popping. When the Patriots went 16-0, Tom Brady threw for 50 touchdowns, and New England finished with a plus-315 point differential. Allen has nine total touchdowns in Buffalo’s first two games and is on pace for 68 total touchdowns this season.
There are still land mines beyond the obvious ones. A road game against the Packers, Patriots, or Vikings could catch them if they’re not careful. But the bigger point is simple: perfection is attainable.
For the league’s best quarterback, doing it in the first season in the new stadium would make for one heck of a story.
In Other News...
Patriots Catch A Break As Steelers Passing Attack Suddenly Changes
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For New England, the adjustment matters because it alters where the danger may come from, with DK Metcalf now carrying even more of the spotlight. The Steelers will still have options in Roman Wilson, Germie Bernard and Pat Freiermuth, but the Patriots can prepare knowing one of Pittsburghs most productive early-season targets wont be on the field. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots Suddenly Face A Dangerous Problem In Steelers Matchup
Carlton Davis being ruled out for the Patriots home opener changes the tone of a matchup that already had some bite to it. A neck injury will keep the veteran corner from taking the field against the Steelers, leaving New England to sort through a secondary that now leans more heavily on less experienced options. The absence is especially notable because no practice squad elevations were made after the status change, so the Patriots will have to work with what they already have on hand.
It is a sudden complication for a defense that was counting on Davis to help steady things on the back end, even as the Steelers arrive with a key wide receiver also out. The Patriots still get the benefit of playing at home, but the missing corner creates an immediate stress test for a group that will have to hold up against a physical opponent without one of its more established pieces. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots Nearly Lost A Receiver Drake Maye Suddenly Needs
Mack Hollins has become a more important part of the Patriots passing game in recent weeks, and his reworked contract offers a look at how quickly things can change around a receiver room. With injuries thinning out the depth chart, Hollins has stepped into a larger role for Drake Maye and the offense, making him more than just a depth option as the season moves along.
His comments about the deal, though, were a reminder that the business side can be just as abrupt as the football side. Hollins said he essentially had to accept the restructured contract or risk being released, and the adjustments raised the reception benchmarks tied to his incentives from the previous season. For a player whose workload has grown because of circumstance, it adds another layer to a situation the Patriots clearly could not afford to let drift for long. [Read more 🡒]