Say what you want about the 2026 schedule for the Buffalo Bills — they’re going to be well rested.
Better rested than their opponents, that is.
This graphic, made by Arif Hasan of WideLeft.Football, showcases the net rest (in days) for all 32 teams, with the Bills in the No. 2 spot behind only the Chicago Bears.
This is a massive improvement from a season ago, when the Bills were -7 in net rest, which equated to the fourth-worst figure in the NFL. In 2024, the Bills were tied for eighth at +8 in net rest.
More takeaways from that chart:
- The Chargers have the worst net rest differential in any of the last three seasons
- There are 11 AFC teams with a negative rest differential, including two Bills AFC East rivals (Dolphins and Jets)
- The Chiefs were +2 last year and are -1.5 for the 2026 season.
Warren Sharp has been at the forefront of new, smarter ways to evaluate the NFL schedule and perennially analyzes how rest as impacted NFL teams on a yearly basis.
While there are a million different approaches in deciding how much net rest matters or not, Sharp astutely boils everything down to this scenario in his article:
“Which 17-game schedule would you rather play:
A) 8 games featuring more rest than your opponent and 1 game with less rest than them
B) 1 game featuring more rest than your opponent and 6 games with less rest than them”
One negative in the rest department for the Bills this season, as noted by Sharp — Buffalo is the only team that plays four games in 17 days (Monday, Sunday, Sunday, Thursday). That stretch will occur from Week 9’s trip to the Vikings through the Thanksgiving home game against the Chiefs with contests against the Dolphins and Jets sandwiched between.
(on an semi-related note, I 10000% agree with Sharp’s assertion that after their Week 5 Monday Night Football clash with the Los Angeles Rams, the Bills *absolutely* should stay out west before Sunday’s Week 6 game in Las Vegas against the Raiders.)
Overall, with +14 days of net rest over their opponents, when it comes to staying fresh throughout the entire season, the Bills should be thrilled with their 2026 schedule.
