Buffalo Bills
Bills’ best rivalry games in 2022
This upcoming Bills season is full of primetime games and potentially nail-biting matchups as they’ll be facing off with the biggest stars in the league. However, there are a handful of games that may mean a little more to the Bills and Bills Mafia.
In this article I will list the top three rivalry games for this upcoming season. These are games in which both teams will have a chip on their shoulder due to past history that you should circle on your calendar.
#3: Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots
Well after a solid rookie year from Mac Jones, and winning in a wind storm in Buffalo on Monday Night Football, it has become apparent that the Patriots, their fans and the Boston media believe it is only a matter of time before the Patriots take over reign once again in the AFC East. “Mac is only going to get better” as they say. Many of us are still very skeptical on that… but I suppose we will have to wait and see for this year.
The Patriots will absolutely have both of these games circled as they are looking for revenge on the Bills for that 30-point drubbing in the Wild Card game this past season. This rivalry had its spark ignited last year after the first time these two teams met and ultimately ended with the Bills winning 2 of 3 in the season series. You can be sure that the flame will be reignited once again this year as there are many that believe Jones will take another leap in his second year. It’ll be interesting to see how these games play out this season, even with the Bills seemingly getting better and the Patriots standing pat.
The Bills won’t meet the Patriots until late in the season in December, when they face them in New England on Thursday Night Football. If the Patriots are able to build on their success from last year then this should have the makings of a classic, hard-fought divisional game.
#2: Buffalo Bills vs Tennessee Titans
The Bills will take on the Titans on Monday Night Football in their home opener this year. This comes in at #2 on our rivalry ranking list mainly because of how close the matchup between the two teams was last year, and the fact that Bills and Titans fans do not get along. The Bills have lost their last 2 matchups against the Titans, both of them being played in Tennessee. I think we will see a different outcome this time around. We were a Josh Allen slip away from winning the game against them last year.
But this is a new year, a new season, and the teams will be a bit different. It has been a fun rivalry in the last couple years and it will only continue to grow. While the Titans haven’t traveled to Buffalo recently, they are going to be in for a rude awakening when they step out on that field on Monday Night.
Both of these teams have something to prove from last year. The Titans being one and done in the playoffs after getting the first round bye and home field advantage, and of course the Bills, after losing to the Titans last year and then losing in heart breaking fashion to Chiefs in the Divisional Round (we’ll get to that in a minute). This should be a great game all across the board. Both of these teams are hungry and don’ like each other either.
#1: Buffalo Bills at Kansas City Chiefs
Ok, I’m sure we all knew this was coming. The new biggest rivalry in the NFL is the Chiefs vs Bills and I honestly don’t believe there is a close second right now. Every time these two teams take the field there are fireworks. If you look away for even a split second then you may miss another TD.
This game features the two best QBs in the league in Mahomes and Allen, and it is always can’t-miss TV. We are witnessing the next great Brady vs Manning rivalry right before our eyes so we better take advantage of watching them face off against each other for the next decade.
The Bills will take on the Chiefs at Arrowhead on Sunday, October 16th at 4:25, in what is sure to be a nationally televised game with Romo and Nantz on the call.
The Bills are 1-3 against the Chiefs with Josh Allen as their QB, with their lone win coming against them last year on Sunday Night Football in what was never really a close game.
However the next one they played absolutely was. The Bills vs Chiefs playoff game last year was ranked the best game of the 2022 season by The Athletic, and it was probably one of the best games of all time. A game that featured seven lead changes and 25 points being scored in the final two minutes of the game – absolutely absurd from these two offenses. And just when we thought the Bills had the game wrapped up… well we all know what happened after that. We don’t have to elaborate any further.
The Bills will certainly have a chip on their shoulder going into Arrowhead this year as they will not forget what happened the year prior. Things will be different this time around however. The Chiefs will be without one of their biggest receiving threats, Tyreek Hill, and of course, the Bills have bolstered their defensive line by adding Von Miller. I don’t think Mahomes is too happy to see Miller leave his division, only to come back and play for his biggest conference rival this season.
Get your popcorn ready folks because this rivalry has just begun and anything can happen in these games. There will be a lot of points scored, and most likely a lot of lead changes as well. We’re going to have many more classic Chiefs vs Bills games in the near future. One thing is for certain though, and that is to not take these two teams and these two QBs for granted, because every time they step out onto the field together, we are very likely to witness history.
The Buffalo Bills have an opportunity this week. Brandon Beane and company can show the NFL world that not only are they not going through a “rebuild,” but that they are committed to following the league trend of getting “younger and cheaper” and still have a Super Bowl caliber roster.
Since 2018, the Buffalo Bills have the best draft efficiency in the NFL, meaning that Brandon Beane has done the most with his draft picks. Not only have the Bills been successful with their first-round picks under the Beane administration, but it seems that Beane and company only get better as the draft goes on.
Day three of the draft is Brandon Beane’s time to shine. In rounds four through seven, he’s selected the likes of Taron Johnson, Wyatt Teller, Gabe Davis, Dane Jackson, Khalil Shakir and Christian Benford—all good, starting talent.
So, giving Brandon Beane the most opportunities to draft, i.e. the most draft picks, should be the Bills approach to this year’s draft. Afterall, young players are the most cost-effective and with the Bills current salary cap situation, this should be the theme we see this year.
The Bills positions of need this season are wide receiver, defensive line, edge, interior offensive line, safety and running back. Other than Curtis Samuel, Brandon Beane hasn’t had any big free agency splash-signings so far this offseason, so coming up big in the draft is imperative.
Who Should the Bills Draft?
As it stands today, the Bills have 10 draft picks. Here is a mock draft that supports the “younger and cheaper” motif and fills the Bills positional needs.
First Round (#28 overall pick): Bills trade to the Cardinals for their Second Round (#35 overall) and Third Round (#71 overall) picks
I projected the Bills to trade their 28th pick to the Cardinals in exchange for the Cardinal’s 35th and 71st pick. The Cardinals are a good suitor as they have an early second round pick and are not in the Bills conference.
Second Round (#35 overall pick): Adonai Mitchell, Wide Receiver, Texas
The 2024 wide receiver class is deep.
Adonai Mitchell is a receiver I’ve seen mocked to the Bills heavily.
Sean McDermott is on record of saying that the Bills need a receiver that provides matchup issues for other teams and Mitchell fits the bill. He’s a fast, fluid route runner with good size that makes red zone matchups difficult for other teams.
With the loss of Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis, all of Bills Mafia knows that a wide receiver early in the draft is a must.
Second Round (#60 overall pick): Kris Jenkins, Defensive Line, Michigan
Currently, the Bills have Ed Oliver, Daquan Jones and Austin Johnson on their active defensive line roster. McDermott likes to rotate heavily at this position and adding a young stud defensive lineman with team control for multiple years makes sense.
Kris Jenkins fits the Bills defensive line profile well. He is excellent at taking on double teams, very strong and has a quick lateral first step.
Third Round (#71 overall pick): Jaylen Wright, Running Back, Tennessee
The Bills are also thin at running back and have yet to sure-up the position in free agency.
After James Cook and Ty Johnson, there’s nobody and the Bills need depth at the position.
Jaylen Wright is an exceptional athlete who has good blocking concepts and would prove an asset to spell James Cook and Ty Johnson.
Fourth Round (#128 overall pick): Sione Vaki, Safety, Utah
The Poyer/Hyde era is over.
The Bills will likely start the season with Taylor Rapp and Mike Edwards as their starters and with Sean McDermott’s defensive concepts and his “safety whisperer” ability, the Bills should be alright.
But after Rapp and Edwards, the Bills have Cam Lewis and Damar Hamlin who aren’t proven safety commodities in the NFL.
Sione Vaki’s athleticism is apparent as he played running back, slot receiver and safety at Utah. He may be a “Swiss Army Knife” kind of player in the NFL.
Fourth Round (#133 overall pick): Mohamed Kamara, Defensive End, Colorado State
Greg Rousseau is great, AJ Epenesa is good and Von Miller is a crapshoot at this point. Also, Casey Toohill and Kingsley Jonathan add depth, but the Bills need another edge rusher.
Mohamed Kamara is a powerful, physical player who has some size issues, but would complement Greg Rousseau well.
Fifth Round (#144 overall pick): Isaiah Williams, Wide Receiver, Illinois
Yes, the Bills should double-dip at the wide receiver position. Will they wait to get their second guy until the fifth round? Who knows.
Isaiah Williams is projected to be a WR4/5 and would likely be a special teams contributor as well.
Fifth Round (#160 overall pick): Tyler Davis, Defensive Line, Clemson
Again, the Bills are looking for lasting depth at the defensive line position and Tyler Davis would provide that.
Fifth Round (#163 overall pick): Zak Zinter, Guard, Michigan
With the departure of Mitch Morse and Ryan Bates, the Bills are looking for some reliable depth at the interior offensive line.
As it stands right now, O’Cyrus Torrence and David Edwards would likely take over the guard positions with Connor McGovern moving to center.
After this, the only depth that is 53-man roster quality is center, Will Clapp.
Zac Zinter excels at man/gap schemes and would be a great fit for the Bills and offensive line coach, Aaron Kromer.
Sixth Round (#200 overall pick): Isaac Guerendo, Running Back, Louisville
Again, the Bills need running back depth.
Isaac Guerendo’s NFL floor is at a third-down back and would likely add special teams depth.
Sixth Round (#204 overall pick): Tip Reiman, Tight End, Illinois
The Bills have good tight end depth as it stands.
However, Tip Reiman has the size and physicality to be the Bills practice squad tight end.
Seventh Round (#248 overall pick): Carter Bradley, Quarterback, South Alabama
The consensus amongst Bills fans and Bills media is that the Bills need to draft a quarterback to develop and have under team control instead of spending valuable cap space on a backup for Josh Allen.
Carter Bradley would likely serve as a practice squad guy along with Shane Buechele.
Dalton Kincaid’s 2023 rookie season was one for the Buffalo Bills record books.
Not only did he lead all tight ends in receptions, receiving yards, targets and yards after catch (YAC); he outgained every Bills tight end GROUP in these numbers since Josh Allen’s rookie season in 2018.
When the Bills moved up to the 25th spot to draft Kincaid last year, a majority of Bills Mafia was baffled. The Bills had needs at offensive tackle and linebacker. Tight end was low on the list of who Bills fans thought general manager, Brandon Beane, would select. After all, the Bills were already paying proven tight end, Dawson Knox a lot of money for multiple seasons.
But the dynamic that Kincaid was able to add to the Bills offense in 2023 without any prior NFL experience placed him not only among the Bills tight end all-time greats, but his numbers placed him in the top-20 of many all-time Bills receiving numbers too.
Here is how Dalton Kincaid compared to his all-time single-season Bills counterparts:
Receptions (73)
Amongst Tight Ends: 1st
Amongst All Receivers: 20th
Receiving Yards (673)
Amongst Tight Ends: 2nd
Amongst All Receivers: 80th
Targets (91)
Amongst Tight Ends: 1st
Amongst All Receivers: 47th
Catch Percentage (80%)
Amongst Tight Ends: 2nd
Amongst All Receivers: 3rd
Yards Per Game (42.1)
Amongst Tight Ends: 3rd
Amongst All Receivers: 94th
Receptions Per Game (4.6)
Amongst Tight Ends: 1st
Amongst All Receivers: 30th
With the exit of Stefon Diggs this offseason, Bills offensive coordinator, Joe Brady, will be primed to distribute the ball more to his stud second-year tight end. And if his rookie season is a predictor of how his sophomore year will play out, Dalton Kincaid will set the NFL world on fire in 2024.
-
Buffalo Bills8 months agoBills Release Seven Players Sunday
-
Buffalo Bills5 months agoWho Bills Fans Should Root For This Weekend
-
Buffalo Bills2 years agoThe five worst draft picks from the drought
-
Buffalo Bills5 months agoWho Bills Fans Should Root For This Weekend
-
Buffalo Bills7 months agoImpressions of My First Trip to Buffalo
-
Buffalo Bills4 months agoWho Bills Fans Should Root for This Weekend
-
Buffalo Bills2 years agoPower ranking every AFC team
-
Buffalo Bills1 year agoBuffalo Bills down to just 4 active receivers