Buffalo Bills 2015 schedule: observations and notes

With the release of the 2015 NFL schedules, it's time to take a look at some of the notable factoids facing the Buffalo Bills this coming season:

• If the Bills want to make some noise, they'll be able to right off the bat. The first two games see the Bills play host to the participants in last season's AFC Championship, with the Indianapolis Colts being followed by the New England Patriots. If they can start off 2-0 this season, it might actually mean something this time.
• The bye week warmongers didn't get much direct fuel this season. The only time the Bills play a team coming off the bye is Week 5 against a Tennessee Titans team that probably won't be a whole lot better than they were last season. That said, they did sneak in a few games where the opponents will get some extra rest coming off Thursday games: Week 2 against New England, Week 4 against the New York Giants, and Week 16 against the Dallas Cowboys. Buffalo is coming off their bye as the Miami Dolphins head into town, with three extra days' rest in Week 9.
• Unlike last season, the bulk of Buffalo's NFC schedule is coming at the end of the season. Aside from the Giants game in October, the other three NFC East squads face off against the Bills in December. They'll be in Philadelphia to play the Eagles on the 13th, in Washington against the Redskins on the 20th, and at home against Dallas on the 27th.
• On that note, the weather should play a major role at the end of the season. Eight of their nine games after Halloween are in open-air stadiums north of the Mason-Dixon Line, and the lone exception is Kansas City, where the average high for December is around 40 degrees.
• Buffalo has a brutal stretch where they're on the road for three straight weeks (including both prime-time games) and five out of six overall. They begin and end the season with two-game homestands.
• October looks to be a pretty soft month for the Bills. Their four opponents combined for a 21-42-1 record last season, and three of them lost 10 or more games. One of those games is the much-hyped Jacksonville Jaguars game in London.
• This season isn't all 1:00 p.m. starts. The prime-time games come when the Buffalo kicks off Thursday night on NFL Network at the New York Jets, and the following week on Monday Night Football at New England. The Jacksonville game in Week 9 is going to have a 9:30 a.m. ET kickoff and the Week 3 game at Miami is going to kick off at 4:25 p.m. ET.