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          NFL Nation

          Buffalo Bills' schedule 2020: Young team will be tested in prime time

          • Marcel Louis-Jacques, ESPNMay 8, 2020, 12:30 AM
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              Marcel Louis-Jacques joined ESPN in 2019 as a beat reporter covering the Buffalo Bills, before switching to the Miami Dolphins in 2021. The former Carolina Panthers beat writer for the Charlotte Observer won the APSE award for breaking news and the South Carolina Press Association award for enterprise writing in 2018.

          The Buffalo Bills' schedule for 2020 was released Thursday.

          The regular season kicks off with the Houston Texans visiting the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday, Sept. 10 (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC). The opening doubleheader for Monday Night Football will feature the Pittsburgh Steelers at the New York Giants (7:10 p.m. ET, ESPN) and the Tennessee Titans at the Denver Broncos (10:20 p.m. ET) on Monday, Sept. 14.

          Check out the full week-by-week schedule here. Here's what is in store for the Bills:

          Game-by-game prediction

          Bills reporter Marcel Louis-Jacques is predicting a 12-4 finish:

          Sept. 13: vs. N.Y. Jets, Win

          Sept. 20: at Miami, Win

          Sept. 27: vs. LA Rams, Win

          Oct. 4: at Las Vegas, Win

          Oct. 11: at Tennessee, Loss

          Oct. 15: vs. Kansas City, Loss

          Oct. 25: at N.Y. Jets, Win

          Nov. 1: vs. New England, Win

          Nov. 8: vs. Seattle, Loss

          Nov. 15: at Arizona, Win

          Nov. 22: BYE

          Nov. 29: vs. L.A. Chargers, Win

          Dec. 7: at San Francisco, Loss

          Dec. 13: vs. Pittsburgh, Win

          Dec. 20: at Denver, Win

          Dec. 28: at New England, Win

          Jan. 3: vs. Miami, Win

          Strength of schedule: T-5th, .525

          Breakdown

          Bills fans clamored all offseason for their team to get more nationally televised games -- and the NFL granted their wish. Buffalo will play four prime-time games this season, including a Thursday night showdown with the Chiefs, Monday Night Football matchups with the 49ers and Patriots, and a Sunday night game against the Steelers. If the Bills make the postseason for the third time in four years, the rest of the country should be plenty familiar with them.

          Critical stretch

          With four winnable games in its first four weeks, Buffalo needs to start the season strong because the schedule gets dicey from Week 5 through Week 14 -- a stretch that includes games against the Titans and Chiefs in consecutive weeks, the Seahawks, Cardinals, 49ers and Steelers. There are games against the Jets, Patriots and Chargers sprinkled in that stretch -- it's a period of the season that could heavily affect the Bills' playoff chances. At the same time, it will ensure the team is battle-tested by the time January comes about.

          Travel miles

          The farthest west the Bills traveled last season was their postseason game in Houston. This season, they will travel to San Francisco, Phoenix, Denver and Las Vegas. There will be little time to rest, as well -- Buffalo has one set of back-to-back home games, although it will get four home games and a bye week between Week 6 and Week 12. The Bills were dynamite on the road last season, losing twice in eight tries; if they're able to replicate that in 2020, it will almost certainly mean another trip to the playoffs.