There are 11-on-11 games, and then there is the third of the game that tends to get overlooked until it changes field position, swings momentum or quietly decides a close result. Through six games of the 2026 season, the Buffalo Bills have been nearly flawless in that phase, and the numbers say it has been one of the biggest reasons they are 5-1.
Buffalo ranks second overall in special teams DVOA, a telling mark for a unit that has been productive across kicking, punting, returns and coverage. That is not just a nice side note for the Bills. It is part of the story of their start, because special teams helped turn the tide in three of their five victories.
A unit that keeps giving Buffalo an edge
The clearest evidence of that impact starts in the season-opening game, when Tyler Bass hit all three of his field goal tries in his return after more than one year away from playing. That kind of stability matters in any season, but it matters even more for a team trying to build early confidence and avoid leaving points behind.
Tommy Doman added another useful layer in that same season-opening victory, netting 54.5 yards per punt on two boots. Field position can be an abstract concept until it shows up in the hidden yards that make a defense’s job easier and an opponent’s drives longer. Buffalo has been winning those moments.
Then there is the return game, where Ray Davis opened the primetime affair by returning the Rams' kickoff 70 yards. That single play did not decide the game by itself, but it fit the larger pattern: Buffalo has been stressing opponents in ways that go beyond offense and defense. The Bills also have a 31.0 kickoff return average, another sign that their specialists are consistently creating usable field position.
More than a spark
That is why the Bills' special teams profile feels more than opportunistic. It has been sustained. A 13-field-goal-try sample for Bass, plus the punting efficiency from Doman and the return production from Davis, points to a group that is doing its part in every phase it touches.
After the Week 6 road win over the Las Vegas Raiders, Joe Brady praised the confidence and standard the unit has shown, saying he loved the way the special teams is playing and the standard it has set going forward. That fits the bigger picture. Buffalo is not just getting one standout play here and there. It is getting a steady baseline.
Marv Levy long emphasized special teams as an important but sometimes forgotten part of football, and Buffalo's 2026 start is a reminder of why. When a team can be this sharp in a phase that often gets treated as secondary, it changes the shape of a season. The Bills are 5-1, second in special teams DVOA, and very much benefiting from the part of football that is supposed to be one-third of the game but is too often treated like an afterthought.
