Kansas City Chiefs vs. Buffalo Bills
It will be a fun weekend in Kansas City as the Chiefs once again welcome the Buffalo Bills to Arrowhead. Since the start of the 2020 season, this will be the sixth meeting between these two teams. The record is close, as Kansas City is 3-2 vs Buffalo. However, two of those three wins have come in the postseason, including an AFC Championship game in 2020.
On the other hand, the Bills have won the last two regular-season games, which is impressive considering they’ve both been at Arrowhead. Although this week is technically another regular season matchup, there are plenty of post-season implications. Both teams are coming off losses and are desperate for a win.
Josh Allen
This season has been another roller-coaster season for Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills. They’ve had plenty of nice moments, including a dominant win versus divisional leader Miami. However, they have also given the New England Patriots one of their two wins. Following their loss to the Denver Broncos, they parted ways with offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey.
The good news for Buffalo is that Josh Allen seems to play his best against Kansas City. To the enjoyment of every NFL fan, Allen and Mahomes seem to feed off each other. Last year, in their 24-20 win at Arrowhead, Allen went 27-40 for 329 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. (Pro Football Reference) In one of the best playoff games ever in 2021, Allen went 27-37 for 329, four touchdowns and no interceptions as well as 68 rushing yards. (Pro Football Reference)
Bills QB Josh Allen (17) and WR Gabe Davis (13) – Jeffrey T. Barnes/AP Photo
One thing you notice about Allen against the Chiefs is he doesn’t throw interceptions. This has been a problem for Allen in a lot of games, but in his last three games versus Kansas City, he has 10 passing touchdowns to no interceptions. If this game were played at the start of the season, Allen would have a tougher time playing against a strong Chief’s defense. However, as injuries continue to pile up for the Chiefs, their defense has regressed slightly.
Allen will be the wildcard in this matchup. If you get superstar Josh Allen, the Chiefs will have their hands full.
Bills defense
Sean McDermott once again has his defense towards the top of the league. Buffalo comes into
Sunday’s contest is the 5th best defense in points per game. They allow on average 18.9 points per game. There are actually a lot of similarities between the Chiefs’ defense and the Bills’ defense.
The Chiefs are sixth in pass yards allowed per game at 183. The Bills are eighth at 203.3. In terms of run defense, they are also closely tied. The Chiefs are 19th best at 114.7 rush yards allowed per game. The Bills are right behind the Chiefs at 20th best, allowing 116.7 yards per game. Overall, Kansas City is 3rd best in points per game and, as I mentioned, Buffalo is 5th best. (ESPN)
Chiefs TE Travis Kelce (87) and Bills LB Matt Milano (58) – William Purnell/ Icon Sportswire/Getty Images
The Chiefs offense continues to be a tough question to answer. They move the ball effectively but find new ways to stay out of the endzone. Each week we believe this will be the week they finish drives in the endzone, but that has still yet to happen. Hopefully, going up against the Buffalo Bills will spark the Chiefs offense.
Turnovers
Like most games, I believe this one will be decided by turnovers. As I mentioned earlier, Josh Allen can be turnover-prone at times. He has the second most interceptions with 13. However, Patrick Mahomes is not far behind him. Patrick sits at 10 for the season and only has 4 games without an interception. Both quarterbacks are capable of making jaw-dropping throws, but at times it gets both of them in trouble
It’s Go Time
The Chiefs caught a break last week when Russell Wilson was picked off by Texans safety Jimmie Ward in the red zone. Had the Broncos won that game, Kansas City would be feeling real pressure. The good news is the Chiefs control their own destiny. As long as they do their job, they won’t have to worry about what others in the division are doing.
Although it would have been nice to win in Green Bay last week, it seems Kansas City caught the Packers at a bad time. After this week, their schedule gets much easier. But regardless of who they play, it’s go time. The clock is running and it’s time to play Chiefs football.
