For the Bills to get back to 10-6 and contend for a divisional crown, they would realistically need to go 6-2 at home with wins over all three of their division rivals and split their road games. Buffalo has two very tough home games next year vs. the Kansas City Chiefs and the Seattle Seahawks. The Pittsburgh Steelers is tough too, but that one might be a tad more winnable.
Of the home games the Bills have to have outside of against rival teams, they have to beat the Los Angeles Chargers in Orchard Park. The Chargers will have to travel across the country and possibly play in cold weather. Though it’s not like the Chargers have anything close to a home-field advantage, this will be a tough game for them, but one they will certainly get up for.
The reason for this is former Bills offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn is the Chargers’ head coach and former Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor might be the starting quarterback for the Chargers when these two teams square off. Sean McDermott replaced remnants of Rex Ryan’s staff like Lynn. Taylor led the Bills to the playoffs for the first time this century back in 2017.
Like the Bills, the Chargers have a strong roster, but it is debatable what they’ll get out of the quarterback position week-to-week. Josh Allen has higher upside than Taylor, but Taylor has been consistent throughout his NFL career out of Virginia Tech. No matter how you slice it, a home loss to Lynn, Taylor and the Chargers would be a gut-punch the Bills may not be able to overcome.