Man, looking back at the Buffalo Bills 2023 schedule, it’s kinda hard to believe they actually pulled it off. Honestly, if you’d asked me in mid-November when they were sitting at 6-6, I would’ve told you the season was a wash. Dead. Gone. You’ve probably seen the highlight reels, but the actual week-to-week grind of that year was a total emotional rollercoaster. Basically, the Bills decided to take the hardest possible path to the AFC East title, and it made for some of the most stressful football I’ve ever watched.
It all started with that weird Monday night game against the Jets. Remember that? Aaron Rodgers goes down after four snaps, and somehow Buffalo still finds a way to lose in overtime. It felt like a bad omen.
A brutal start and the London letdown
The first month was actually pretty deceptive. After that Week 1 stinker, the Bills went on a tear. They absolutely dismantled the Raiders and the Commanders. Then came the Miami game in Week 4. Everyone was hyping up the Dolphins as the "greatest offense ever," and Buffalo just walked in and hung 48 points on them. Josh Allen had a perfect passer rating. It was beautiful.
But then things got weird.
They hopped on a plane to London for Week 5 to play the Jaguars. Now, I don't know if it was the jet lag or what, but they looked sluggish. More importantly, that's where the wheels started falling off the defense. They lost Matt Milano—who was playing like an All-Pro—to a season-ending leg injury. DaQuan Jones went down too. You could feel the air leave the balloon. They lost 25-20, and the defense was never really the same for a long stretch after that.
The midseason "dark ages"
If you want to talk about the Buffalo Bills 2023 schedule at its absolute worst, you have to look at Weeks 7 through 12. It was a mess.
Losing to a struggling Patriots team in Week 7 was a wake-up call that nobody wanted. Then they squeaked by the Giants on a literal last-second goal-line stand. Then the Denver game happened on Monday Night Football in Week 10. Twelve men on the field for a field goal? Are you kidding me? That loss led to Ken Dorsey getting fired the next morning. It felt like the house was on fire.
Joe Brady took over as the interim offensive coordinator, and while things didn't flip overnight, you could see a shift. They hammered the Jets in the rematch, but then they had to go to Philly. That Week 12 game against the Eagles was a masterpiece and a heartbreak all at once. Allen played out of his mind, but they lost in overtime. 37-34.
Heading into their Week 13 bye, the Bills were 6-6. Their playoff odds were basically in the basement.
The "win out or go home" era
Something clicked during that bye week. Maybe they just realized they had nothing left to lose. The final stretch of the Buffalo Bills 2023 schedule was basically five straight playoff games before the actual playoffs even started.
- Week 14 at Kansas City: This was the "Kadarius Toney offsides" game. Buffalo won 20-17. It wasn't pretty, but it was a win at Arrowhead, and it saved the season.
- Week 15 vs. Dallas: They didn't even need Josh Allen to throw the ball. James Cook went off for 221 scrimmage yards. Buffalo ran for 266 yards total. It was old-school "bully ball" in the rain.
- Week 16 at LA Chargers: A Saturday night slog. They barely survived a team with an interim coach, winning 24-22, but a win is a win.
- Week 17 vs. New England: Revenge. They forced four turnovers and took care of business at home.
Everything came down to Week 18. Sunday Night Football. In Miami. Winner takes the division, loser likely goes on the road as a Wild Card.
The Bills were down 14-7 at halftime. Deonte Harty then pulls off a 96-yard punt return—the longest in team history—to tie it up. Buffalo wins 21-14. They went from being the 11th seed in the AFC to the 2nd seed in just five weeks. Absolutely wild.
What we learned from the numbers
When you actually dig into the stats, the 2023 Bills were better than their 11-6 record suggested. They finished the year with the 6th-best scoring offense and the 4th-best scoring defense. That’s usually the profile of a 13-win team.
The problem was the close games. They lost a lot of heartbreakers early on. But Joe Brady's offense changed the dynamic by leaning more on James Cook, which took some of the "I have to do everything" pressure off Josh Allen. Allen still finished with over 40 total touchdowns for the fourth straight year, which is literally an NFL record. Nobody had ever done that before.
2023 schedule results by the numbers:
- Record vs. AFC East: 4-2
- Home Record: 7-2
- Road Record: 4-4 (includes London as a "home" game loss)
- Points Scored: 451
- Points Allowed: 311
The playoff heartbreak (again)
The Wild Card round against the Steelers was a blast. It was snowy, the fans were shoveling seats, and Josh Allen had that incredible 52-yard touchdown run. Buffalo won 31-17 comfortably.
But then, the Divisional Round. Kansas City. Again.
💡 You might also like: Taysom Hill and the New Orleans Saints: What Most People Get Wrong About His Future
This time it was in Buffalo. The "Wide Right" ghost returned when Tyler Bass missed the game-tying field goal late in the fourth quarter. They lost 27-24. It’s a bitter pill because that 2023 squad felt like they had the momentum to go all the way after that crazy December run.
Why the 2023 season still matters
The Buffalo Bills 2023 schedule proved this team has a weird kind of resilience. They fired a coordinator, lost their best defensive players to IR, and were written off by every pundit in the country by November.
If you're looking to understand why Bills Mafia is so obsessed, this season is the blueprint. It’s never easy, it’s rarely boring, and it usually ends with a "what if." But the way they clawed back from 6-6 to win the division is something that doesn't happen often in the NFL.
Actionable Insights for Bills Fans:
- Watch the James Cook evolution: His performance in the second half of 2023 showed that Buffalo can be a dominant rushing team when they want to be.
- Respect the defense: Despite losing Milano and Tre'Davious White, Sean McDermott's defensive play-calling kept them in games. That system is robust.
- Don't panic at 6-6: If 2023 taught us anything, it's that the NFL season is a marathon. A midseason slump isn't always a death sentence if you have a top-tier quarterback.
The 2023 season showed that the Bills' window is still wide open, even if the ending felt like a recurring nightmare. The schedule was a gauntlet, but they survived it, right up until they didn't.