Bills Face Major Test After Bye With One of NFL’s Toughest Schedules

The Buffalo Bills are one of the hottest teams in the NFL right now. First-year head coach Joe Brady has them off to a 5-1 start as they enter their Week 7 bye.

Buffalo's only loss thus far came to the New England Patriots, their top AFC East rival, but the Pats recent loss dropped them to 4-3, giving the Bills some cushion.

Meanwhile, franchise quarterback Josh Allen is expecting the team to play its "best football" coming out of the Week 7 bye. That's vital because Buffalo will face a huge test right off the bat.

The Bills will host the Baltimore Ravens in Week 8, followed by visiting the Minnesota Vikings in Week 9. Those two opponents will be tough to handle, but it doesn't get much better after that with the Bills facing the fourth-toughest remaining schedule in the league.

In addition to playing the Ravens and Vikings, the Bills will see some of the top teams in the league, including the Kansas City Cheifs, Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears, and the Patriots. They also have a Christmas Day game against the Denver Broncos, the team that knocked them out of the playoffs last season.

Brady and the Bills know their offense will be up to the challenge, but rookie defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard has to find a way to get more out of the defense. Buffalo is currently 31st in defensive yardage and 28th in points. Compare that to an offense that's sixth in yardage and first in points, and it's easy to see where the focus needs to be during the bye week.

Buffalo Bills' remaining schedule

* Home games in bold

Week 7 | BYE WEEK

Week 8 | Baltimore Ravens | 1:00 p.m. ET

Week 9 | at Minnesota Vikings | 8:15 p.m. ET | Monday Night Football

Week 10 | at New York Jets | 1:00 p.m. ET

Week 11 | Miami Dolphins | 1:00 p.m. ET

Week 12 | Kansas City Chiefs | 8:20 p.m. ET | Thanksgiving Night

Week 13 | at New England Patriots | 4:25 p.m. ET

Week 14 | at Green Bay Packers | 8:20 p.m. ET | Sunday Night Football

Week 15 | Chicago Bears | 8:20 p.m. ET | Saturday Night Football

Week 16 | at Denver Broncos | 4:30 p.m. ET | Netflix | Christmas Day

Week 17 | at Miami Dolphins | 1:00 p.m. ET

Week 18 | New York Jets | TBD

Brady entered the year feeling plenty of pressure as he was taking over for Sean McDermott, who has the second most wins in franchise history. Brady knew there would be no grace period and the expectation was for him to have instant success. He's met the challenge so far and if they can get through this schedule with enough wins to take the division, Brady and company will go into the postseason full of confidence.

— Sign up for OnSI’s Free Buffalo Bills Newsletter —