It looked like the Chiefs would follow a familiar script. Then, Josh Allen happened.
The Kansas City Chiefs came to Highmark Stadium in search of their tenth win against the Buffalo Bills. When they stopped Buffalo on third down with under 2:30 to go in the game, it looked like they’d have a chance at victory. Past precedent suggested that the Bills and head coach Sean McDermott would send on kicker Tyler Bass to try and extend a 23-21 lead to a 26-21 advantage.
Instead, McDermott trusted his offense, quarterback Josh Allen rumbled 26 yards for a touchdown, and the Chiefs were left with a two-score deficit and right around two minutes to spare. A last-ditch heave towards tight end Travis Kelce was intercepted by linebacker Terrel Bernard, and the game ended in a 30-21 Buffalo victory.
The Chiefs played well on Sunday, and the game had just as much tension as we’ve come to expect when these two clubs meet. However, the Bills just had more answers throughout the night, and they picked up a huge victory.
Here’s how our five Chiefs to watch fared this week.
RB Kareem Hunt
Isiah Pachco’s replacement isn’t just another guy. Hunt has been solid, if unspectacular, this season, averaging 3.7 yards per rush on his way to 509 yards and five touchdowns this season. Against Buffalo on Sunday, Hunt averaged 4.3 yards per rush on his 14 carries, totaling 60 yards on the night. However, and at the risk of sounding like a broken record when I talk about Buffalo’s run defense, Hunt broke one big run — a 17-yard carry — and was otherwise pedestrian (13 carries, 43 yards) on the evening. Buffalo did a great job on most of their run fits, and while they’ll sometimes allow a big one if they’re outflanked or out-beefed in their nickel defense, they continue to show their discipline. Kansas City is a physical squad, but Buffalo matched them blow-for-blow.
WR Xavier Worthy
I had a weird feeling that head coach Andy Reid was going to try and feature Worthy. The narrative had Kansas City won likely would have centered on how the Bills were beaten by the receiver they gave away to the Chiefs. And, had Worthy been able to haul in a deep pass from quarterbask Patrick Mahomes in the first half, we might be talking about a different outcome. Unfortunately for the Chiefs, Worthy couldn’t find his feet before going out of bounds, and what would have been an explosive play was instead an incomplete pass. Worthy’s overall numbers look pretty good — he ran once for seven yards and caught four passes for 61 yards and a score — but considering that the entirety of his output came in the first half, I’m more impressed with Buffalo’s adjustments than I am Worthy’s performance.
RT Jawaan Taylor
No procedure penalties on Taylor this week, but he was called for a hold that wiped out an 18-yard rush by Mahomes on Kansas City’s final offensive drive. That turned a fourth-down conversion into a 4th& 13, which led to Terrel Bernard’s game-sealing interception. Taylor also allowed a sack to edge rusher Von Miller, who schooled him off the edge on a great move in the first half. Better yet for the Bills? That sack came with a three-man pressure, as Miller, defensive tackle Ed Oliver, and defensive end Greg Rousseau were all able to converge on Mahomes. The Bills put consistent pressure on Mahomes, and Taylor was definitely part of the problem up front.
DE George Karlaftis III
Working against a first-time starter in right tackle Ryan Van Demark, I thought that Karlaftis was going to wreck the game. Instead, Van Demark looked like a seasoned vet, the Bills were able to keep Josh Allen from being sacked even once, and Karlaftis had just one tackle and one quarterback hit on the evening. Kudos to Van Demark for the job he did in a huge spot, but props should also go to offensive coordinator Joe Brady for designing some good quick-game passing options for Allen.
CB Trent McDuffie
What a talent this kid is. McDuffie’s most noticeable play came on a blitz. He split Kansas City’s two best pass rushers, Karlaftis on the edge and defensive tackle Chris Jones on the interior, to pressure Allen on Buffalo’s second possession. The Bills were right on the cusp of entering field goal range, and they were already up 6-0 when McDuffie pressured Allen and stuck with him to force a throw-away. How many times have we seen blitzing corners or linebackers lose contain on Allen? Or, even if they keep contain, they lose their footing or just can’t take down the 6’5” 240-pound quarterback? Well, McDuffie kept contain, kept his footing, and forced a throw-away on a great play. He totaled just one tackle on the evening, but he was excellent in coverage as usual.