Reigning NFL MVP Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills look to get over the hump and reach the franchise's first Super Bowl since the 1993 season. By hump, that means Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Last season ended painfully for the Bills as they lost another postseason matchup against the Chiefs -- this one a 32-29 AFC Championship defeat at Arrowhead Stadium.
Buffalo reloads for the 2025 campaign by securing its star quarterback for the long haul in arguably the biggest move in franchise history. In March, the Bills and Allen agreed to a six-year, $330 million extension, with a league-record $250 million guaranteed.
Several other key pieces on both sides of the ball received contract extensions this offseason, including Pro Bowl running back James Cook, wide receiver Khalil Shakir, defensive end Greg Rousseau and linebacker Terrel Bernard. Bernard was one of the Bills' two team captains last year, joining Allen.
The Bills are a must-watch team this year, but tracking down their games can be a chore. In addition to the usual channel rotation of CBS, Fox, NBC, ABC/ESPN and NFL Network, this season’s streaming rights also extend to Amazon Prime, Netflix, Peacock and YouTube. We’ve compiled a league-wide overview of how the current broadcast carousel works. All of the info below is formatted specifically for the Bills’ 2025 schedule (pre-time flexes, which start as early as Week 5 this year).
The first thing we’ll need to watch all 17 (and beyond ... ) games is a television package. Here are the most popular options, contingent on local availability, with pricing as of August 2025:
- Average monthly cost: $85-100. Depending on the carrier, this will cover everything except for out-of-market games, "Thursday Night Football" on Prime and the Christmas slate on Netflix.
Our dueling homes for the busiest part of the weekly schedule. A majority of games will fall on Sunday afternoon, kicking off at either 1 or 4-4:30 p.m. This is where you can find several of Buffalo’s big-time matchups, including Week 9 against the Chiefs, Week 14 against the Cincinnati Bengals and Week 17 against the defending Super Bowl champions.
For the most part, CBS has the AFC home games and Fox has the NFC ones. That’s not absolute, though. When there’s no local team to prioritize, these over-the-air channels will show a game of national intrigue. The Bills, with Allen under center, have been more frequently featured in the spotlight.
Both networks have broadcast teams to spread around the league on Sundays. Here’s a refresher on those lead crews:
CBS -- "Hello Friends" Team
- Jim Nantz and Tony Romo / Tracy Wolfson sideline
- Ian Eagle and JJ Watt / Evan Washburn
- Kevin Harlan and Trent Green / Melanie Collins
- Andrew Catalon, Charles Davis and Jason McCourty / AJ Ross
- Spero Dedes and Adam Archuleta / Aditi Kinkhabwala
Fox -- "Dancing Robots" Team
- Kevin Burkhardt and Tom Brady / Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi sideline
- Joe Davis and Greg Olsen / Pam Oliver
- Adam Amin and Mark Sanchez / Kristina Pink
- Kenny Albert and Jonathan Vilma / Megan Olivi
- Kevin Kugler and Daryl Johnston / Allison Williams
- Chris Myers and Mark Schlereth / Jen Hale
What you’ll need to watch: One of the aforementioned cable or streaming packages, or a broadcast antenna for free over-the-air access. Local CBS games can also be streamed on Paramount+ (starting at $7.99/month). Local Fox games can also be streamed on Fox One (starting at $19.99/month).
Bills fans outside of Buffalo area will need NFL Sunday Ticket, which unlocks each out-of-market broadcast on separate channel. For extra fee, you can get NFL RedZone, frenetic live whip-around anchored by Scott Hanson. That man is peerless in his love for American football.
What you’ll need to watch: YouTube is current digital home provider of NFL Sunday Ticket (DirecTV carries it for businesses). New Sunday Ticket users can subscribe for $276/year, which comes out to $23/month. Returning users with YouTube TV are charged $378, or $31.50/month; those without YouTube TV pay $480 ($40/month). These are prices without RedZone.
Additionally, league’s NFL+ Premium app has standalone RedZone access for 12 installments of $14.99. Full out-of-market games can’t be streamed live here though; making it a better option for fantasy players rather than dedicated team loyalists.
The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand reported that ESPN recently sold 10 percent of its equity to the NFL in exchange for league media assets (NFL Network, cable RedZone rights and fantasy football games). So, as of Sept. 3, the new ESPN Unlimited direct-to-consumer (DTC) service is offering a bundle with NFL+ Premium for $39.99/month.
- Average monthly cost: $23-40
Sundays always end with “Sunday Night Football,” featuring Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth in the booth. Tirico is the successor to longtime SNF voice Al Michaels. Collinsworth, well ... “here’s a guy” who gets really excited about nickel corners and pass-blocking running backs. Melissa Stark is NBC’s Sunday night sideline reporter.
As we get into the later weeks, NBC will flex into matchups with greater playoff implications. The same goes for ABC/ESPN (Mondays) and Prime Video (Thursdays). Network flexing is a contentious issue, though. Putting a more compelling game on national TV rewards viewers at home, but sudden schedule changes obviously hurt traveling fans. For SNF in Weeks 5-13, a flex must be announced at least 12 days before the game. That window halves to a six-day warning in Weeks 14-17.
Buffalo heads straight into the fire with a meeting against two-time MVP Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens in a SNF game.
What you’ll need to watch: A TV package, or a broadcast antenna for free over-the-air access, or a Peacock account (the basic plan with ads starts at $7.99 per month).
Here’s where you’ll find end-of-week pageantry with Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and the inescapable theme music. Industry vet Lisa Salters dispatches from the sideline along with Laura Rutledge. When there are multiple Monday night listings, Chris Fowler does play-by-play on the doubleheader’s other game with former safety Louis Riddick and former quarterback Dan Orlovsky on color commentary. Katie George and Peter Schrager cover the sidelines with that group. The MNF crew for ESPN Deportes includes play-by-play woman Rebeca Landa and analyst Sebastian Martinez-Christensen; sideline reports come from MJ Acosta-Ruiz and the incomparable John Sutcliffe.
There will usually be a simulcast on ESPN2 anchored by Peyton and Eli Manning. Last year on the "ManningCast," Peyton advised Allen to throw the ball away on one play and the MVP-to-be wisely did not.
Monday flexes go down Weeks 12-17, with the 12-day window for changes.
This marks year No. 4 of TNF on Amazon. Al Michaels does play-by-play, and he’s joined by Kirk Herbstreit (“College GameDay” staple and Golden Retriever enthusiast). Kaylee Hartung handles the sideline reporting. Thursday games are on the Prime Video app for national audiences, and broadcasts are free over the air in the two teams’ home markets. Alternatively, TNF can be streamed on Twitch or with an NFL+ subscription (mobile only, however).
Last year’s ill-fated first TNF flex did not lead to new safeguards; rather, the league reduced the notice window from 28 days down to 21. Again, those flexes favor folks at home who want exciting and relevant late-season viewing, but it brings chaos to ticket holders and the participating teams themselves.
What you’ll need to watch: Amazon Prime, which costs $14.99 per month, or NFL+ ($6.99/month). TNF is also free on Twitch with a registered account. The Bills’ TNF games will have a free over-the-air TV broadcast in the Buffalo market.
- Average monthly cost: $0-15
This year, the Bills bypassed the NFL's ever-expanding international slate, as well as the Thanksgiving and Christmas blocks. The one unknown is Buffalo's regular-season finale, a showdown at home against the New York Jets currently listed as a TBD "flex game."
The entirety of the Week 18 schedule will be announced after Week 17 is in the books. We at least know it won't be a Thursday or Monday game, though Week 18 does have some Saturday slots reserved for matchups with playoff gravity.
After making it through all that, please enjoy this absolutely absurd touchdown by Allen in the snow: