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USA Today
5 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
AI makes game-by-game predictions for Buffalo Bills 2025 season
The 2025 season can't start soon enough for the Buffalo Bills. With 2024 NFL MVP Josh Allen at the helm at quarterback, anything can happen. The team added several key pieces via the draft and free agency to help shore up some roster deficiencies. The excitement for the season builds as Buffalo has a favorable schedule, at least on paper. Bills Wire examined this schedule and made early game-by-game predictions in the midst of OTAs. Since AI is all the rage these days, we've now sought some additional guidance on how this season will turn out for Buffalo. We asked Grok to make some predictions about how this season will go for Buffalo. Here is what Grok came up with for a game-by-game prediction for Buffalo's final year at Highmark Stadium: Week 1: Loss vs. Baltimore, 30-27 Buffalo opens the season with a close loss to the Baltimore Ravens. It's a tough start for Buffalo, as they immediately lose a playoff tie-breaker at the onset of the season. The game will have a great deal of hype, as the NFL's last two MVPs square off. The Ravens, led by Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry, capitalize on a strong ground game. Henry rushes for 120 yards and a touchdown, exploiting a Bills defensive front missing Larry Ogunjobi. Josh Allen throws for 250 yards and 2 TDs but is sacked three times. The game is decided by a late Ravens field goal. Week 2: Win at New York Jets, 31-20 Buffalo returns to the win column with a big Week 2 victory against the Jets. It's an important game, as it gets the Bills a good start in the AFC East standings and helps with any future tie-breaking scenarios. The Jets, under new coach Aaron Glenn and with QB Justin Fields, struggle to gel early. Allen dominates with 300 passing yards, 3 TDs, and a rushing score. Khalil Shakir emerges with 100 receiving yards. The Bills' defense stifles Fields, forcing two turnovers. Week 3: Win vs. Miami, 34-21 Buffalo continues its dominance over the AFC East with a convincing win over their long-time rivals. Allen continues his dominance over Miami (12-2 record, 42 TDs). He throws for 280 yards and 3 TDs, with Dalton Kincaid catching 8 passes for 110 yards. The Dolphins' secondary struggles, and Tyreek Hill is limited to 50 yards by Tre'Davious White. Week 4: Win vs. New Orleans, 42-17 The dominance continues with a massive home win against the Saints. This is a game that Buffalo needed to control, as they are the far superior team in this matchup. Plus, this feels like a solid game for the defense to gain some confidence as well. The Saints, in transition with a new coach and no clear QB (Rattler, Haener, or Shough), are overmatched. Allen throws 4 TDs, including two to Joshua Palmer. James Cook rushes for 100 yards. The Bills' defense records 4 sacks and an interception. Week 5: Win vs. New England, 38-24 Let's make it four in a row. Buffalo moves to 3-0 against the AFC East. At this point, it feels like Buffalo is on cruise control already. Despite Stefon Diggs' return with the Patriots, the Bills roll. Allen throws for 300 yards and 2 TDs, while Cook adds 80 rushing yards and a score. Matt Milano records a pick-six off Drake Maye. The Patriots' improved roster can't keep up. Week 6: Loss at Atlanta, 31-28 Ouch. What happened? It feels like there is always one game like this each season under the McDermott regime. Somehow, Buffalo struggles leading into their bye week with this loss to the Falcons. Michael Penix Jr. and Bijan Robinson (150 all-purpose yards) challenge Buffalo's defense. Allen throws for 270 yards and 2 TDs but is intercepted late. The Falcons' home crowd and balanced attack secure a narrow upset. Week 7: Bye Week Let's take some time to reset after that upset to Atlanta. Week 8: Win vs. Carolina, 30-20 A 10-point victory, coming off a bye, seems a bit generous for Carolina. Sean McDermott has a perfect record following bye weeks. With two weeks to plan for the Panthers, it would seem that Buffalo could make this one a blowout. Grok doesn't see the dominance but still predicts a victory. Even so, it's an Elijah Moore breakout game! Bryce Young and rookie WR Tetairoa McMillan keep it competitive, but the Bills' defense, led by Matt Milano (10 tackles, 1 sack), shuts down the Panthers' run game. Allen throws for 250 yards and 2 TDs, with Elijah Moore catching 6 passes for 90 yards. Week 9: Win vs. Kansas City, 34-31 It's a tale as old as time: Buffalo taking down Kansas the regular season. The hype for this game will be massive--we can't wait to see what it looks like in real life. For now, it's predicted that Max Hairston will have a major impact on his young legacy in Buffalo. A classic showdown sees Allen (350 total yards, 3 TDs) outduel Patrick Mahomes (300 passing yards, 2 TDs). The Bills' home crowd and rest disadvantage for Kansas City (post-Monday night game) tilt the scales. Maxwell Hairston intercepts Mahomes late to seal it. Week 10: Win at Tampa Bay, 35-27 Buffalo continues their roll with a big road win against Tampa Bay. Allen gets a bit win against the No. 1 pick in his draft class. Baker Mayfield's offense (Mike Evans, 100 yards) keeps pace, but Allen's 3 touchdowns (2 passing, 1 rushing) and James Cook's 120 all-purpose yards prove too much. The Bills' defense forces a late fumble. Week 11: Win at Houston, 27-24 Buffalo adds to their win column with a massive road win against the Texans. The AFC playoff picture should start to The Bills narrowly win, capitalizing on their balanced offense. The Texans dynamic passing attack, led by CJ Stroud, challenges Buffalo's secondary. However, Josh Allen's dual-threat ability and the Bills stout defense secure the close win. Week 12: Win vs. Pittsburgh, 31-21 This looks like an all-around great game for the Bills. Sean McDermott will praise the team's complementary play between the offense and defense. The Buffalo Bills, powered by Josh Allen's elite playmaking and a versatile receiving duo of Keon Coleman and Khalil Shakir, will overwhelm the Pittsburgh Steelers' inconsistent offense, despite T.J. Watt's disruptive presence. Buffalo's disciplined defense, led by Christian Benford and Terrel Bernard, secures a 31-21 victory in Pittsburgh. Week 13: Loss vs. Cincinnati, 35-31 Buffalo loses a shootout against a possible playoff foe. The defense struggles in this matchup, causing some concern for the postseason run. Joe Burrow (350 yards, 3 TDs) and Ja'Marr Chase (150 yards, 2 TDs) exploit Buffalo's secondary in a shootout. Allen matches with 340 yards and 3 TDs, but a late defensive lapse costs the Bills. Week 14: Win vs. New England, 34-17 Buffalo moves to 4-0 against the AFC East. A big win puts Buffalo back in the win column. There's no doubt with this one. The Bills dominate the rematch, with Allen throwing for 280 yards and 2 TDs. Milano and Ed Oliver combine for 3 sacks on Drake Maye. Stefon Diggs is held to 60 yards. Week 15: Win vs. Philadelphia, 30-27 Yeah, buddy! Buffalo knocks off the defending Super Bowl Champions. It's a big win, putting the Bills in solid contention for a long playoff run. A tight game sees Allen (300 total yards, 2 TDs) outshine Jalen Hurts. Khalil Shakir shines with 110 receiving yards. The Bills' defense, led by Tre'Davious White, limits DeVonta Smith to 50 yards. Week 16: Win at Cleveland, 27-17 Buffalo may get a look at Shadeur Sanders in this game. Who knows? This is a game that Buffalo should win comfortably. At this juncture, the Browns will be looking to 2026. The Browns' QB competition (Watson, Flacco, or rookies) falters. Allen throws for 250 yards and 2 TDs, while Cook adds 80 rushing yards. The Bills' defense forces two turnovers. Week 17: Win vs. Miami, 35-24 Oh, it feels good to see the Bills take another late-season victory from the Dolphins. The Bills continue their dominance against the AFC East. The MVP talk for Allen will swell after this win. Allen (300 yards, 3 TDs) continues his mastery over Miami. The Dolphins' offense struggles with Tua Tagovailoa's health concerns, and the Bills' defense records 3 sacks. Week 18: Win vs. New York Jets, 38-21 Buffalo closes out the season with a perfect record against the AFC East. The historic win closes out the Bills regular season time at Highmark Stadium. However, it's far from the last game at One Bills Drive this year. With the division clinched, the Bills play starters to secure home-field advantage. Allen throws for 280 yards and 3 TDs, while the defense, led by Matt Milano, forces two interceptions. Postseason Buffalo earns the No. 1 seed in the AFC with a 14-3 record. It's massive for the Bills, as the run to the Super Bowl goes through Western New York. Divisional Round: Win vs. Pittsburgh, 34-20 Another playoff game in Buffalo against the Steelers, and another victory for the Bills. Buffalo enjoys the extra week of rest to send Aaron Rodgers into retirement. Maybe. The Steelers, likely a wild-card team, struggle with offensive consistency. Allen throws for 300 yards and 3 TDs, targeting Kincaid and Shakir. The Bills' defense, with Hairston and Jackson, limits Pittsburgh's passing game, securing a comfortable win. AFC Championship: Win vs. Kansas City, 31-28 It's happening. The homefield advantage gets the Bills over the hump. Let's party like it's 1990! In a rematch at Highmark Stadium, the Bills finally overcome the Chiefs. Allen delivers 350 total yards and 3 TDs, including a game-winning drive. Mahomes keeps it close (300 yards, 2 TDs), but Milano's late sack seals the victory. The home crowd and rest advantage (from the bye) prove crucial. Super Bowl: Win vs. Philadelphia, 34-30 Grok just predicted a dream scenario for the Bills. The season can't start soon enough.


USA Today
15-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Who will finish last in the AFC East in 2025?
The Buffalo Bills have cruised in the AFC East in recent years and hope to continue that in 2025. According to most sportsbooks, that's set to continue as Buffalo remains the favorite to win the division next season. That would be the team's sixth-straight AFC East crown. But it's never as cut and dry as that. The Bills will have to handle their business in the division. The New England Patriots, New York Jets and Miami Dolphins will have their say in their of who wins the AFC East. Flipping those odds on its head, who is the team that's most likely to finish in the basement of the division? Bleacher Report give their take. Despite the Patriots and Jets hiring new coaching staffs led by Mike Vrabel and Aaron Glenn, respectively, B/R sees those teams hitting the ground running. Meanwhile, that's bad for Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel who is likely entering next year on the hot seat... especially in a scenario like this. B/R's breakdown on the Dolphins potentially as the AFC East's worst team in 2025 can be found below: Even though the New England Patriots and New York Jets have new coaching staffs, which always brings a level of uncertainty, the Miami Dolphins have glaring question marks that could become flaws in a bottom-out year. The Dolphins' pass defense is a significant concern, particular at cornerback. Miami acquired three-time All-Pro Minkah Fitzpatrick from the Pittsburgh Steelers in the blockbuster trade that involved cornerback Jalen Ramsey and tight end Jonnu Smith. Fitzpatrick can play both safety positions and slot cornerback, but the secondary is vulnerable on the boundaries without clear-cut starters on the perimeter. Edge-rushers Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb are working their way back from significant injuries. The former partially tore his ACL last September, and the latter missed the 2024 season because of a torn ACL, meniscus and patellar tendon. Defensive lineman Zach Sieler has recorded 10 sacks in back-to-back campaigns. As he's made a name for himself in the pass rush, though, opposing offensive linemen may double-team him until Chop Robinson consistently wins one-on-one matchups on the outside. Tua Tagovailoa understands that he must protect himself in the pocket. The oft-injured quarterback has missed at least four games in four of five seasons. In 2023, he played in all 17 games and made the AFC Pro Bowl roster. His availability could be the difference between a 10-win season and a team that finishes with a sub-.500 record in back-to-back years. Based on Tagovailoa's injury history, backup Zach Wilson could start in multiple games, and his poor accuracy (57 percent career completion rate) would hinder the Dolphins' aerial attack. Miami finishes with seven or eight wins, and head coach Mike McDaniel's job security will come into question at the end of the campaign.


USA Today
12-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
NFL uniform rankings: How do the Titans stack up?
The NFL has strict policies on uniforms and each team must adhere to the guidelines or face repercussions. This year, the league updated some of those policies, allowing teams to wear alternate uniforms four times this season instead of three, and they changed the rule on mixing classic uniforms with alternate helmets. In addition, they announced that the AFC East and NFC West will wear new "Rivalries" jerseys in 2025, a collaboration between Nike and the NFL. The uniforms are said to be similar to the NBA's "City Edition" and the MLB's "City Connect" jerseys. Teams will be added in increments each year until 2028, so that every NFL team has a "Rivalries" jersey. The Tennessee Titans announced changes to their uniforms in 2025, making "Titans blue" the primary color on their home jerseys instead of navy. The Titans haven't made a ton of changes to their look over the last 25 years, but the players and fans seem to appreciate this update. Outside of Nashville, though, where do the Titans' jerseys stack up against the rest of the league? USA Today's Nate Davis analyzed and ranked each team's uniform, and the Titans dropped from their previous ranking. Previous ranking: 23Current ranking: 29While teams like the Panthers are something of a mess, the Titans seem to at least understand less is more – though even that's problematic to a degree. They wore seven combinations in 2024, most notably the glorious Houston Oilers throwbacks, but had several more permutations at their disposal. However the Oilers unis won't come out of the closet this season – yes, the Titans left Texas in 1997 and took their branding with them – and 'Titans Blue' will become the primary home color (instead of navy). The whole thing is probably moot given a major redesign seems to be coming in 2026. Considering that last month the Titans' uniforms were voted among the worst in the league, it's not overly surprising that they fell in Davis' rankings. While the players and fans seem to love this year's uniform, it sounds like a full redesign is right around the corner, so next year this ranking might be very different. The good news for the Titans is that it doesn't really matter what the uniforms look like. What matters is how they perform each Sunday for 17 weeks in the fall. Winning, fans might be more excited about what they are wearing, but losing? Fans don't care at that point. Losses suck, and they feel bad, and no one likes to lose, even if they look good. So, despite the lower ranking in what they will be wearing this fall, the Titans care more about their ranking on the field.
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Bills Tipped To Still Be 'Undisputed Heavyweights' Of AFC East
Bills Tipped To Still Be 'Undisputed Heavyweights' Of AFC East originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Ever since Tom Brady left the AFC East, Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills have taken up residence as the dominant force. Advertisement Five consecutive division titles have given the Bills the nickname of the "bullies of the AFC East," given how many beatdowns they have given to the New York Jets, New England, and Patriots, and the Miami Dolphins over the years. As we look ahead to 2025, we don't expect the pecking order to change significantly, and neither does Eric Edholm. In ranking all divisions from toughest to weakest, out of all eight, the AFC East comes in at No. 6, with the Bills the clear favorites. "The Bills remain the undisputed heavyweights in the East, with a secure spot among the handful of true Super Bowl contenders in the AFC," Edholm writes. "Reigning MVP Josh Allen leads a dangerous offense with potential to improve, yet it's the defense that must show more grit to get Buffalo back into a Super Bowl." Advertisement Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) runs with the ball against New England Patriots linebacker Christian Elliss (53) during the second half at Highmark Fisher-Imagn Images So yes, the Patriots are expected to improve, the Dolphins, who knows with Tua at this stage, and Aaron Glenn's Jets are in rebuild mode. None are in the same weight class as Buffalo. Now, that doesn't mean the Bills will go undefeated in the division, because the NFL has a funny way of throwing up a wacky result here and Buffalo had four one-score wins out of the six division games last year, so it isn't exactly a cakewalk. But the Bills are expected to again claim division bragging rights as they have sights set on a first-ever Super Bowl win. Because in this division fight, the Bills have artillery that the others simply don't. Advertisement Related: Blockbuster Trade Pitch Moves All-Pro Safety To Bills In 'Honey' Of A Deal Related: Bills Named As Trade Destination For Top NFC Holdout Weapon This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 10, 2025, where it first appeared.


USA Today
09-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
B/R names Bills' 'Mount Rushmore' since 2000 NFL season
The "Mount Rushmore" for the Buffalo Bills franchise, or any team, is a great offseason debate. Names like Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas, Cookie Gilchrist, Joe Ferguson... and even OJ Simpson... are excellent candidates. But Bleacher Report narrowed the playing field. How about the Mount Rushmore of the Bills... since the 2000 NFL season? That timeline of Buffalo's football team has both ends of the spectrum. Five-straight AFC East titles and a massive playoff drought. Considering that, three players currently on the team's roster crack the list. The one from the not-so-long past? No surprise. Here's B/R's picks: QB Josh Allen OT Dion Dawkins LB Matt Milano DT Kyle Williams Like Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen is a relatively fresh face for a Mt. Rushmore of the last 25 years. However, his selection is warranted because of his accomplishments and what he has meant to the Buffalo Bills franchise. Before the Bills drafted Allen in 2018, they had made only one playoff appearance this century. They haven't missed the postseason since his sophomore campaign, and they've won five straight AFC East titles. With 26,434 passing yards 4,142 rushing yards, 260 combined rushing and passing touchdowns, three Pro Bowl nods and one league MVP already on his resume, Allen is on a Hall of Fame trajectory. While success was fleeting for the Bills before Allen's arrival, he isn't the only legend from the last quarter-century who is still playing. Left tackle Dion Dawkins has made 122 career starts and earned four straight Pro Bowl nods. Linebacker Matt Milano has made only one Pro Bowl—he was also a first-team All-Pro in 2022—but he remains one of the NFL's best all-around defenders when healthy. Milano has tallied 504 tackles, 10.5 sacks, 59 tackles for loss and 39 pass breakups in 94 career games. His versatility and role in Buffalo's recent success earn him the nod over notable names like Aaron Schobel, Jerry Hughes and Stefon Diggs. Defensive tackle Kyle Williams represents the "old guard," as his last season coincided with Allen's rookie campaign. In his 13 seasons in Buffalo, Williams started 178 games, recorded 609 tackles and 48.5 sacks and made six Pro Bowls.