The Bills Blog

The Buffalo Bills are met with their biggest test of the season thus far as they take on the reigning AFC Champion Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs are a familiar foe and the two teams have met 9 times since 2020. In those 9 matchups, the Bills have won 4 consecutive regular season appearances, but haven’t won a single time when it matters most. The rivalry is as real as it gets in the NFL, but its rather lopsided to this point.

In order for the Bills to walk away with a win in week 9, they will need to play some of their best football of the year. The Chiefs are as good as any team in the NFL and they show no signs of slowing down following the return of WR Rashee Rice. Patrick Mahomes is playing like Patrick Mahomes again and he has the supporting cast to move the ball down field in the blink of an eye. The Chiefs by committee backfield is their only weak spot on offense, yet it doesn’t seem to have hindered their success as of late. The Chiefs defense is playing as an aligned, cohesive force per usual. They play effective coverage, rush the passer well and tackle in space. DC Steve Spagnuolo always has his unit ready to go and I expect the same on Sunday.

Buffalo, first and foremost needs to stop Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs vertical attack. They’ll look to get Rashee Rice, Travis Kelce and Xavier Worthy the ball in space and move downfield in chunks. Buffalo’s D-line needs to be effective on Sunday while rushing the passer with integrity. It’s crucial to pressure Mahomes while not opening up rushing lanes that allow him to scramble and use his feet to move the sticks. The Bills need to win the turnover battle in order to have a chance, whether that’s by forcing Mahomes to make a bad throw or by forcing a fumble, I don’t see the Bills winning this one without forcing turnovers.

Offensively, the Bills will need to keep pace with the Chiefs. Buffalo needs to be effective in both their rushing and passing attack in order to breakthrough this stout Chiefs defense. I expect the Chiefs to force the Bills into tough 3rd and 4th down situations where Josh Allen is going to need take over. The Chiefs will make it a point of emphasis to stop James Cook given his success during the regular season to this point, putting more pressure on Allen to move the chains consistently.

This is a seemingly must win game for both teams and I expect it to be a battle till the final bell. My prediction is Chiefs 27-24.