The Buffalo Bills have made a habit of beating the Kansas City Chiefs. In fact, they’ve now won five straight regular-season games against them, dating back to 2021.
Of course, the asterisk on that streak glows like a red siren, because the Chiefs have won all the games that matter. They’ve beaten the Bills the last four times they faced off in the playoffs, knocking Buffalo out of the postseason in four of the last five years.
So yeah, the Bills’ 28-21 win over the Chiefs in Buffalo on Sunday probably felt really good. And it sure was fun to watch. But that’s not the win the Bills really want. They want to win the rematch on the road to Super Bowl LX.
Here are my takeaways:
1. Allen vs. Mahomes is still the NFL’s marquee matchup
If only there was a world where this game was on the schedule every season.
Maybe there are other candidates for MVP or best quarterback in the NFL, but when these two are on the field together, they always seem to bring out the best of each other. Their matchup on Sunday was no exception.Â
Josh Allen, the Bills quarterback and reigning NFL MVP, was particularly brilliant, completing 23-of-26 passes for 273 yards and a touchdown. And while Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes struggled early, he overcame that to throw for 250 yards (on 15-of-34 passing with one interception) and come within one Hail Mary of tying the game at the end.
They are, in many ways, the Tom Brady-Peyton Manning of their era — a matchup everyone wants to see, especially on the biggest stages, and a matchup that never disappoints. It’s almost impossible not to root for them to continue their rivalry in January in the AFC Championship Game.
If history holds, that would end up being the NFL’s Game of the Year.
2. Josh Allen desperately needs help at receiver
What a colossal mistake it was by the Bills not to address this position in free agency and think they could get by with what is essentially a collection of No. 3 receivers around their star QB. Allen is one of the best quarterbacks in the game with possibly the strongest arm, but who does he have to rely on, or who can get downfield and consistently come up with the ball?
Khalil Shakir is nice, but only 43 yards on his seven catches won’t do. And tight end Dalton Kincaid had a big game against the Chiefs (6 catches, 101 yards, 1 touchdown) and has topped 100 yards twice in the last three games. But he’s alternated those with one-catch games, proving he’s not really reliable.Â
Mostly, Allen is forced to spread the ball around and hope someone gets hot. Yet his top receiver is currently on pace for 848 yards this season. Not even 1,000 yards in 17 games.
They have to address that shortcoming by the trading deadline on Tuesday. There may not be great receivers available, but there are some good ones (Jakobi Meyers, Jaylen Waddle) and given the Bills’ current window of opportunity, they should be willing to pay a high price. And if they’re not sure about whether it’s worth it, just look at what the return of Rashee Rice has done for the Chiefs the last couple of weeks.
His mere presence opened up everything in their offense. The Bills don’t have a receiver who can do that.
3. The Bills’ best and most important weapon is James Cook
One thing that makes this Bills team feel a little different this year is that even if Allen is not at his best — and he hasn’t been for a lot of the first half of the season —the Bills’ offense still has juice. That’s because Allen has never played with a more potent running back than the version of James Cook he has by his side this season.
Cook had 114 rushing yards on 27 carries on Sunday, bringing his total to 867 on the season. It was his fifth time topping 100 rushing yards in a game this year — not coincidentally, all Bills wins. And while he’s not all that dangerous as a receiver, he can be reliable, as he showed with his key, 11-yard catch and run for a first down with 2:31 left in the game.
James Cook powered the Bills offense on Sunday against Kansas City. (Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)
A strong running game has been a staple of the Bills’ offense during the Allen era, though Allen more often than not has been the engine of that, even when Cook topped 1,000 yards in each of the last two seasons. But this season, Cook is on pace for 1,842 yards.
He’s now the spark that makes the Buffalo attack go.
4. Andy Reid has to lean on the Chiefs’ running game more
These aren’t the same, dynastic Chiefs that can get by, playground style, with Mahomes’ magic. They may have a Top 10 offense and defense, but the Bills — like several other teams this season — have shown that both are unusually vulnerable.
When that happens, they need to lean on a running back to pick up the tough yards and carry them through tough times. And right now, they don’t really have one they can lean on.
That was evident when Mahomes struggled in the passing game early Sunday they didn’t really have any options to help him out. Especially with top running back Isaiah Pacheho out of the lineup, they couldn’t mount anything consistently on the ground.
And don’t blame Kareem Hunt (49 yards, 11 carries). Though the Chiefs average 136.4 yards per game on the ground, putting them in the Top 10, Pacheco hadn’t topped 58 yards since Opening Day and Hunt topped out at 49 (twice). The committee can work, but it leaves them without a workhorse when they really need one — like they did on Sunday.
Don’t rule out the idea that Mahomes and the Steve Spagnuolo defense can drag this team to another Super Bowl. But don’t count on it either. They need another dimension to keep the heat (and pass rush) off Mahomes’ back. They need to turn someone in their committee into a bellcow running back, even if that’s not really Reid’s style.
4 ½. What’s next?
Now that they’ve vanquished their biggest nemesis, the Bills can turn their attention to their unexpected battle in the AFC East, where they’re still in second place, still one-half game behind the surprising New England Patriots. They get to take a breath next Sunday with a trip to Miami to face the reeling Dolphins, but that does begin a stretch where they play five of their next seven on the road.
The big one for them, of course, is Dec. 14 in New England.
Meanwhile, the Chiefs head into the bye week, still winners of five of their last seven games, which helped them pull out of their 0-2 start. They’re still in a bit of a hole, though, and it’s not going to be easy to pull themselves out. When they come out of their bye they’ll head to Denver to face the AFC-leading Broncos, then home to face the surprising Colts, before a Thanksgiving trip to Dallas.
They’re in third place in a tough division and may need to win them all.
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