17-0 Buffalo Bills? The case is made
No team in the history of the NFL has gone 17-0… at least, not in the regular season sense. We’ve had undefeated teams, but with the NFL adding a game to the season slate starting in 2021, for the first time ever 17-0 is now an attainable goal for a team.
So who could be that first squad to grab such a record? Our friends over at the NFL Wire recently made the case for five teams that have a look at doing so. Among those listed were the Buffalo Bills.
Make Lane made the case:
The Bills had a rough two-game patch after a 4-0 start, and then had Arizona Cardinals receiver DeAndre Hopkins catch a Hail Mary pass in Week 10. Otherwise, the Bills may have finished 14-2. All general manager Brandon Beane has done is continue to double down on Josh Allen and maximize their potential while their franchise quarterback is on his rookie contract. The division may be problematic for them as the New York Jets may not be as big of pushovers, the Miami Dolphins are coming into their own, and the New England Patriots may rebound from a strange season.
Along with the Bills, the other four teams pegged as potential 17-0 candidates included the Rams, Packers, Bucs and Chiefs.
Another factor that may help the Bills potentially go 17-0 is their schedule, of course. In 2021, the Bills’ upcoming slate puts them among the easier half of those in the league.
Prior to the 17-game schedule, Buffalo’s strength of opponents next year put them in a tie with the Washington Football Team for the 23rd hardest in the NFL. And speaking of the Football Team, they will be Buffalo’s 17th game. In 2020, they made the playoffs with a 7-9 record, so adding them to the fold won’t increase the difficulties of 2021 for the Bills.
Then again, the NFL is a year-to-year league, so we do have to take strength of schedule with a grain of salt.
