Buffalo Bills Schedule 2026: Full Slate, Dates, Times and TV

The Bills get two holiday games in 2026. Buffalo hosts Kansas City on Thanksgiving night and then plays at Denver on Christmas Day, a rematch of the divisional-round loss that ended last season.

Joe Brady takes over as head coach after two years as offensive coordinator, the first coaching change in Buffalo since 2017. Eight home dates, nine road games, and an early Week 7 bye.

2026 Team Schedule
Buffalo Bills Schedule
AFC East · Highmark Stadium · Joe Brady (1st year)
8
Home Games
7
Bye Week
Sept 13
Opener at Texans
Nov 26
Circle It: Thanksgiving vs KC
Week Date Opponent Time (ET) / TV Result
1 Sun, Sept 13 at Houston Texans 1:00 PM · CBS
2 Thu, Sept 17 vs Detroit Lions 8:15 PM · Prime
3 Sun, Sept 27 vs Los Angeles Chargers 1:00 PM · FOX
4 Sun, Oct 4 vs New England Patriots 1:00 PM · CBS
5 Mon, Oct 12 at Los Angeles Rams 8:15 PM · ESPN
6 Sun, Oct 18 at Las Vegas Raiders 4:25 PM · CBS
7 BYE WEEK
8 Sun, Nov 1 vs Baltimore Ravens 1:00 PM · CBS
9 Mon, Nov 9 at Minnesota Vikings 8:15 PM · ESPN
10 Sun, Nov 15 at New York Jets 1:00 PM · CBS
11 Sun, Nov 22 vs Miami Dolphins 1:00 PM · FOX
12 Thu, Nov 26 vs Kansas City Chiefs (Thanksgiving) 8:20 PM · NBC
13 Sun, Dec 6 at New England Patriots 4:25 PM · CBS
14 Sun, Dec 13 at Green Bay Packers 8:20 PM · NBC
15 Sat, Dec 19 vs Chicago Bears 8:20 PM · CBS
16 Fri, Dec 25 at Denver Broncos (Christmas) 4:30 PM · Netflix
17 Sun, Jan 3 at Miami Dolphins 1:00 PM · CBS
18 TBD vs New York Jets TBD
Week 18 dates, times and networks are announced only after Week 17 concludes. Prime-time games in Weeks 5-17 can move under flexible scheduling.

Games That Will Define the Bills’ Season

Wk 12 vs Chiefs Thanksgiving night at Highmark Stadium against Kansas City, the biggest home date on the calendar and the Bills’ marquee national window.
Wk 16 at Broncos Christmas Day in Denver on Netflix, against the team that knocked Buffalo out in the divisional round in January.
Wk 8 vs Ravens Baltimore visits straight out of the bye, one of the few conference measuring-stick games in the first half.
Wk 17-18 Miami on the road, then the Jets at home in Week 18. Two division games to close, with seeding almost certainly still open.
Two Holiday Games
Thanksgiving at home and Christmas on the road inside a four-week window, plus a Saturday night home game against Chicago in between.
A New Voice, Not a New System
Joe Brady is promoted from offensive coordinator on a five-year deal, so Josh Allen keeps the offense he has run since Brady took over play-calling in November 2023.
Heavy National TV Load
A Thursday nighter in Week 2, two Monday nights, a Sunday night at Lambeau, a Saturday night at home, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Buffalo is rarely off the national schedule.

How the Schedule Sets Up

Buffalo opens in Houston and then gets three straight at home, which is a soft landing for a first-year head coach. The Week 7 bye is early, though, which means eleven straight games to close the season after a Week 6 trip to Las Vegas.

November is the crunch: Minnesota on Monday night, the Jets on the road, Miami at home, then Kansas City on Thanksgiving. December adds New England, Green Bay, Chicago and the Christmas trip to Denver. For the other side of the Thanksgiving game, see our Kansas City Chiefs schedule page. Full league schedules and flexible-scheduling rules are published by the NFL.

The Bottom Line

Eight home games, an early bye, and a December that runs New England, Green Bay, Chicago, Denver on Christmas and then both division rivals. Buffalo went 12-5 last season and lost in the divisional round again, and this schedule gives it three straight prime-time chances to change the narrative. Bookmark this page; results and Week 18 details are updated throughout the season.