Buffalo Bills Schedulegami: Opponents Never Faced in Primetime
What is a schedulegami? MockSlate calls it a schedulegami when two teams meet in a scheduling window they’ve never shared before.
The Bills have faced the Chargers 26 times, but never on Monday night. If they were scheduled there, that would be a schedulegami, their first-ever Monday night meeting.
The Bills have never faced 4 of their 31 possible opponents on Monday, Sunday, or Thursday night. Every one of those 4 has met Buffalo in at least one other scheduling window, such as a Saturday or a game abroad.
The 2026 schedule adds five schedulegamis across four games: Detroit on Thursday night in Week 2, Minnesota on Monday night in Week 9, Kansas City on Thanksgiving in Week 12, and Denver on Christmas and on a Friday in Week 16. One game counts twice because it fits two windows, a Christmas game on a Friday.
Every Bills opponent by scheduling window, 1966–2025
Each number shows how many times Buffalo has faced that opponent in the listed window. “Never” means the matchup has not happened there yet; “2026 first” means this season will be the first.
| Opponent | Gamessince 1966 | Mon nightsince 1970 | Sun nightsince 1987 | Thu nightsince 1978 | Thanksgivingsince 1966 | Christmassince 1966 | Saturdaysince 1966 | Kickoffsince 2002 | Intlsince 2005 | Fridaysince 1966 | Wednesdaysince 1966 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dolphins | 120 | 10 | 3 | 4 | never | never | 5 | never | 1 | never | never |
| Patriots | 119 | 6 | 5 | 1 | never | never | 5 | never | never | never | never |
| Jets | 118 | 7 | 1 | 4 | never | never | 3 | never | 1 | never | never |
| Colts | 72 | 2 | 2 | never | never | never | 1 | never | never | never | never |
| Chiefs | 39 | 2 | 2 | never | 2026 first | never | 1 | never | never | never | never |
| Titans | 36 | 4 | 2 | never | never | never | 1 | never | never | never | never |
| Bengals | 32 | 2 | 1 | never | never | never | 1 | never | never | never | never |
| Raiders | 29 | 2 | 1 | never | 2 | never | never | never | never | never | never |
| Broncos | 28 | 3 | 1 | never | never | 2026 first | 4 | never | never | 2026 first | never |
| Steelers | 27 | 3 | 2 | never | never | never | never | never | never | never | never |
| Chargers | 26 | never | never | never | never | never | 2 | never | never | never | never |
| Browns | 23 | 2 | never | 1 | never | never | never | never | never | never | never |
| Jaguars | 18 | 1 | never | 1 | never | never | never | never | 2 | never | never |
| Eagles | 16 | never | never | 1 | never | never | never | never | never | never | never |
| Commanders | 16 | 1 | never | never | never | never | never | never | 1 | never | never |
| Rams | 15 | 1 | never | never | never | never | never | 1 | never | never | never |
| Vikings | 15 | 2026 first | never | 1 | never | never | 1 | never | never | never | never |
| Seahawks | 15 | 2 | never | never | never | never | 1 | never | 1 | never | never |
| Falcons | 14 | 1 | never | never | never | never | never | never | 1 | never | never |
| Bears | 14 | never | never | never | never | never | 1 | never | 1 | never | never |
| Packers | 14 | never | 1 | never | never | never | 1 | never | never | never | never |
| Giants | 14 | 1 | 3 | never | never | never | 1 | never | never | never | never |
| 49ers | 14 | 1 | 3 | never | never | never | never | never | never | never | never |
| Buccaneers | 14 | never | never | 1 | never | never | never | never | never | never | never |
| Cardinals | 13 | never | 1 | never | 1 | never | never | never | never | never | never |
| Lions | 13 | never | never | 2026 first | 3 | never | never | never | never | never | never |
| Saints | 13 | never | never | never | 1 | never | never | never | never | never | never |
| Ravens | 12 | never | 2 | never | never | never | never | never | never | never | never |
| Cowboys | 12 | 3 | never | never | 1 | never | never | never | never | never | never |
| Texans | 12 | never | never | 1 | never | never | never | never | never | never | never |
| Panthers | 9 | never | 1 | never | never | never | never | never | never | never | never |
2026 Bills schedulegamis
Week 2 — Bills vs. Lions
First-ever Bills–Lions Thursday night meeting. Final: Bills 41, Lions 31.
Week 9 — Bills at Vikings
First-ever Bills–Vikings Monday night meeting.
Week 12 — Bills vs. Chiefs
First-ever Bills–Chiefs Thanksgiving meeting.
Week 16 — Bills at Broncos
First-ever Bills–Broncos Christmas and Friday meeting.
Bills venue-first matchups, 1966–2025
Schedulegami vs. venue first: A schedulegami means the teams have never met in that scheduling window. A venue first means they have met in the window, but one team has never hosted it.
Some matchups have appeared in a primetime window several times, but always with the same team hosting. The table below shows where the other team has never hosted that matchup in the same window.
| Matchup | Window | Games | Hosted bydesignated home team | Never hosted by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bills–Broncos | Monday night | 3 | Bills | Broncos |
| Bills–Steelers | Monday night | 3 | Steelers | Bills |
| Bills–Dolphins | Sunday night | 3 | Dolphins | Bills |
| Bills–Lions | Thanksgiving | 3 | Lions | Bills |
| Bills–Colts | Monday night | 2 | Colts | Bills |
| Bills–Seahawks | Monday night | 2 | Seahawks | Bills |
| Bills–Chiefs | Sunday night | 2 | Chiefs | Bills |
| Bills–Raiders | Thanksgiving | 2 | Raiders (Oakland) | Bills |
| Bills–Chargers | Saturday | 2 | Chargers (San Diego and Los Angeles) | Bills |
| Bills–Falcons | Monday night | 1 | Falcons | Bills |
| Bills–Jaguars | Monday night | 1 | Bills | Jaguars |
| Bills–Vikings | Monday night | 1 | Vikings | Bills |
| Bills–Giants | Monday night | 1 | Bills | Giants |
| Bills–49ers | Monday night | 1 | 49ers | Bills |
| Bills–Commanders | Monday night | 1 | Bills | Commanders |
| Bills–Cardinals | Sunday night | 1 | Cardinals | Bills |
| Bills–Panthers | Sunday night | 1 | Panthers | Bills |
| Bills–Bengals | Sunday night | 1 | Bengals | Bills |
| Bills–Broncos | Sunday night | 1 | Broncos | Bills |
| Bills–Raiders | Sunday night | 1 | Bills | Raiders |
| Bills–Jets | Sunday night | 1 | Bills | Jets |
| Bills–Browns | Thursday night | 1 | Browns | Bills |
| Bills–Lions | Thursday night | 1 | Bills | Lions |
| Bills–Texans | Thursday night | 1 | Texans | Bills |
| Bills–Jaguars | Thursday night | 1 | Jaguars | Bills |
| Bills–Vikings | Thursday night | 1 | Bills | Vikings |
| Bills–Patriots | Thursday night | 1 | Patriots | Bills |
| Bills–Eagles | Thursday night | 1 | Bills | Eagles |
| Bills–Buccaneers | Thursday night | 1 | Bills | Buccaneers |
| Bills–Cardinals | Thanksgiving | 1 | Cardinals (St. Louis) | Bills |
| Bills–Cowboys | Thanksgiving | 1 | Cowboys | Bills |
| Bills–Chiefs | Thanksgiving | 1 | Bills | Chiefs |
| Bills–Saints | Thanksgiving | 1 | Saints | Bills |
| Bills–Broncos | Christmas | 1 | Broncos | Bills |
| Bills–Bengals | Saturday | 1 | Bengals | Bills |
| Bills–Packers | Saturday | 1 | Packers | Bills |
| Bills–Colts | Saturday | 1 | Colts | Bills |
| Bills–Chiefs | Saturday | 1 | Bills | Chiefs |
| Bills–Vikings | Saturday | 1 | Bills | Vikings |
| Bills–Giants | Saturday | 1 | Giants | Bills |
| Bills–Seahawks | Saturday | 1 | Seahawks | Bills |
| Bills–Titans | Saturday | 1 | Titans (Houston) | Bills |
| Bills–Rams | Kickoff Game | 1 | Rams | Bills |
| Bills–Broncos | Friday | 1 | Broncos | Bills |
- 2026 venue first: First time the Bills visit the Rams on Monday night: Week 5, Oct 12, 2026, in Los Angeles. Their only earlier Monday night game was in Buffalo.
- 2026 venue first: First time the Bills visit the Packers on Sunday night: Week 14, Dec 13, 2026, in Green Bay. Their only earlier Sunday night game was in Buffalo.
- 2026 venue first: First time the Bears visit the Bills on Saturday: Week 15, Dec 19, 2026, in Buffalo. Their only earlier Saturday game was in Chicago.
2027 Bills matchups that could become schedulegamis
These are Buffalo’s projected 2027 opponents and the scheduling windows where each matchup has never happened. Three opponents still depend on Week 18 standings. The full projection is on the Bills team page.
| Opponent | Why they play | Windows never played | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miami Dolphins | Division — twice a year | Thanksgiving, Christmas, Kickoff Game, Friday, Wednesday | confirmed |
| New England Patriots | Division — twice a year | Thanksgiving, Christmas, Kickoff Game, International, Friday, Wednesday | confirmed |
| New York Jets | Division — twice a year | Thanksgiving, Christmas, Kickoff Game, Friday, Wednesday | confirmed |
| Houston Texans | Conference rotation | Monday night, Sunday night, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Saturday, Kickoff Game, International, Friday, Wednesday | confirmed |
| Indianapolis Colts | Conference rotation | Thursday night, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Kickoff Game, International, Friday, Wednesday | confirmed |
| Philadelphia Eagles | Interconference rotation | Monday night, Sunday night, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Saturday, Kickoff Game, International, Friday, Wednesday | confirmed |
| Washington Commanders | Interconference rotation | Sunday night, Thursday night, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Saturday, Kickoff Game, Friday, Wednesday | confirmed |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | Conference rotation | Sunday night, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Saturday, Kickoff Game, Friday, Wednesday | confirmed |
| Tennessee Titans | Conference rotation | Thursday night, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Kickoff Game, International, Friday, Wednesday | confirmed |
| Dallas Cowboys | Interconference rotation | Sunday night, Thursday night, Christmas, Saturday, Kickoff Game, International, Friday, Wednesday | confirmed |
| New York Giants | Interconference rotation | Thursday night, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Kickoff Game, International, Friday, Wednesday | confirmed |
| Cleveland Browns | Same-place finish, AFC North | Sunday night, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Saturday, Kickoff Game, International, Friday, Wednesday | pending Week 18 standings |
| Kansas City Chiefs | Same-place finish, AFC West | Thursday night, Christmas, Kickoff Game, International, Friday, Wednesday | pending Week 18 standings |
| Carolina Panthers | 17th game — same-place finish | Monday night, Thursday night, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Saturday, Kickoff Game, International, Friday, Wednesday | pending Week 18 standings |
Bills schedulegami FAQ
- What is a schedulegami?
- MockSlate calls it a schedulegami when two teams meet in a scheduling window they've never shared before. The Bills have faced the Chargers 26 times, but never on Monday night. If they were scheduled there, that would be a schedulegami, their first-ever Monday night meeting.
- How many opponents have the Bills never faced in primetime?
- Buffalo has never faced 4 of its 31 possible opponents in primetime. Those teams are the Chargers, Bears, Lions, and Saints. Counted one window at a time, the Bills have never faced 12 opponents on Monday night, 15 on Sunday night, and 22 on Thursday night; the 4 above are the ones missing from all three.
- Which teams have the Bills never played on Monday night?
- The Bills have never played the Chargers, Eagles, Vikings, Bears, Packers, Buccaneers, Cardinals, Lions, Saints, Ravens, Texans, and Panthers on Monday night. That's 12 of their 31 possible opponents through the 2025 season.
- Which Bills matchups have only happened on Sunday afternoons?
- None. Every opponent has met the Bills somewhere other than a Sunday afternoon.
- Which Bills games are schedulegamis in 2026?
- Four: Week 2 vs. Detroit on Thursday night, Week 9 at Minnesota on Monday night, Week 12 vs. Kansas City on Thanksgiving, and Week 16 at Denver on Christmas and on a Friday. Each matchup will appear in that window for the first time.
- What is the difference between a schedulegami and a venue first?
- A schedulegami is the first time two teams meet in a scheduling window. A venue first means they have met in that window before, but one team has never hosted it.
About the data
MockSlate calls it a schedulegami when two teams meet in a scheduling window they have never shared before. The order of the two teams does not matter, and neither does the venue: two teams that have only ever met on Sunday night in one city have still met on Sunday night, so the same game in the other city is a venue first, not a schedulegami. Sunday afternoon windows never count. A game counts in every window it fits, so a Monday night game in Mexico City is both a Monday night game and an international game. Primetime here means Monday, Sunday, and Thursday night. Two levels are tracked: the first time two teams meet in one window, and the first time they meet anywhere but a Sunday afternoon.
Game history is the same record as Primetime & Holiday History, regular season only, with franchises carried forward under their current names; Monday night counts every Monday game the way that tool counts it. Coverage by window: Monday night: since 1970, every Monday game as Slot History counts it; Sunday night: since 1987; Thursday night: all Thursday games since 1966 as Slot History counts them; the first non-Thanksgiving Thursday game in the data is 1978; the weekly package began in 2006; Thanksgiving: since 1966; Christmas: since 1966; Saturday: since 1966; Kickoff Game: since 2002; International: since 2005; Friday: since 1966; Wednesday: all-time. A Sunday international game with a verified 8 PM ET or later kickoff counts as International and Sunday night; two games count, the 2005 49ers at Cardinals game in Mexico City and the 2026 Vikings at 49ers game in Mexico City. Schedulegami is a MockSlate term, first published September 2026.
More Bills: Primetime & holiday history · Team page · Scorigami · Rest & travel · All schedulegami teams
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