Buffalo Bills: Breaking down each game in the 2019 schedule

Weeks 8-10: vs Philadelphia, vs Washington, at Cleveland

The first of a few tricky trios, the Bills face a stiff test in the form of the Super Bowl champions once removed in Week 8. A team that could have easily made the NFC title game if not for an unfortunate drop against the Saints in the Divisional Round, the Eagles are well-coached and have the weapons to beat you on the ground or through the air.

In one of the most spectacular under-the-radar offseasons in the league, the Eagles locked up QB Carson Wentz and brought in LB L.J. Fort, RB Jordan Howard, WR DeSean Jackson and DT Malik Jackson. They did lose DE Michael Bennett, WRs Golden Tate and Jordan Matthews and QB/wizard Nick Foles, but their pass catchers are still one of the best units in the league.

They still also have a strong defensive line with Brandon Graham, Fletcher Cox, the aforementioned Malik Jackson and Derek Barnett who are still going to wreak havoc. This is a very good ball team.

When it comes to the Washington Redskins, they seem to be in limbo. On the one hand, they drafted very well and got their quarterback of the future in Dwayne Haskins. On the other hand, they just always seem to be snakebitten with bad luck and injuries.

This feels like another swing game. If Haskins has taken over the reigns by the time Washington rolls into town, expect a great battle between two members of the league’s next wave of great quarterbacks.

If it is still Case Keenum or another placeholder, the Bills should be able to handle their business at home. The Cleveland matchup is going to be one of the most interesting games of the year. There should be a small army of Bills fans making the trip three hours west to Cleveland, so that should make for an interesting atmosphere.

Yes, they got Odell Beckham Jr. and yes they signed Kareem Hunt, but even with their team last year, they had 2-3 games that they should have won. With better coaching and more explosive plays down the field, there’s no telling where this team could go.

The Bills match up well against them defensively (as they do pretty much everyone because, well, their defence is good) but there’s just too much firepower in Cleveland. 1-2 is looking like the reality through this stretch, bringing their record to 5-4 in this forecast.