The Buffalo Bills have turned special teams into an early-season edge, and it has shown up in wins that often hinged on one kick, one return or one punt. Through six games of the 2026 season, Buffalo is 5-1 and ranks second overall in DVOA for special teams production and efficiency.
That is why fans searching for Nfl Games Today are seeing Buffalo in a different light. The Bills are not leaning on one phase. They have been efficient across kicking, punting, returning, covering kicks and the field position battle in key spots, which is how a unit can matter so much without looking flashy every snap.
Jeff Rodgers was recognized for that work with Assistant Coach of the Year honors in On SI's bye week superlatives, but the production is spread across the roster. Tyler Bass has made all 13 of his field goal tries, Ray Davis leads the NFL with a 31.0-yard kickoff return average and Tommy Doman gave Buffalo a lift in the season opener with 54.5 yards per punt on two boots. That kind of balance is what has pushed the Bills into the top tier of the special teams metric.
The opening week set the tone. Bass made all three field goal attempts in his first game in more than a year, Doman tilted the field, and Buffalo got a win with help from the kicking game. That was not a one-off. In Week 5, the Bills again got superior special teams play on the road, then in Week 6 Joe Brady said he loved the confidence the unit was playing with and the standard it had set after the road win over the Las Vegas Raiders.
There is a catch inside the praise. Buffalo's offense has been good through the first six games, so the special teams success is not carrying the whole team by itself. Even so, the hidden yards have mattered enough that the Bills can claim special teams played a role in turning the tide in three of their five victories. Ray Davis provided one of the clearest examples when he opened a primetime game with a 70-yard kickoff return against the Rams, a burst that fits the larger pattern.
That is the part Marv Levy always understood about this side of the game: it can look secondary until it decides a game. Right now, Buffalo is getting contributions in every special teams phase, and the question is no longer whether the unit is helping. It is how long the Bills can keep winning games while special teams keeps tipping the field in their favor.
