Stock down
Josh Allen
It was another rough outing for quarterback Josh Allen, who completed just 51.8 percent of his passes and threw for just 122 yards. Allen looked rushed throughout the game, making a slew of inaccurate passes which stalled out drives. This was a massively disappointing performance because if Allen strings together a few passes, the Bills could have easily won.
Allen, who looked like a viable MVP contender to start the season, has taken a massive step back in these past two games, throwing for just 385 yards, four touchdowns, and three interceptions, combined. Not ideal numbers for a potential MVP.
Jordan Poyer
Safety Jordan Poyer has been one of the bedrocks for this Bills defense these past four years, but against Kansas City he looked lost. Poyer was searching for answers in coverage, in run support, and had a costly unsportsmanlike penalty on the Chiefs’ final drive, giving them a free 15 yards. This penalty put the Chiefs in field goal range, and put the game away for Kansas City.
Poyer also had his ankles broken by rookie running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire, which isn’t a good look for a player who prides himself on being a hard-hitting run stopper.
Ed Oliver
Normally, it’s possible to give Ed Oliver the benefit-of-the-doubt because of the position he plays, and the role he plays within the defense… but he was non-existent in this matchup. Oliver’s goal within this system is to generate internal pressure, and gobble up run-blockers. He did neither against the Chiefs, which gave any of the Kansas City’s running backs massive holes to run through.
It was again, like everyone on this side of the list, disappointing. Oliver is the fulcrum of this defense and if he can’t do his job, the defense generally falters.
John Brown
How the mighty have fallen, John Brown generally gets a lot of love from Bills Mafia, but vs. KC, he had a very poor performance. Brown got off to a poor start by dropping a great throw from Allen, which hit Brown right in the chest. Brown isn’t known for having great hands, but when a ball hits one of the best receivers on the team in the chest, you expect him to make the grab. Other than the drop, Brown was almost non-existent.
When an offense is struggling, especially against a great team in Kansas City, a quarterback needs his playmakers to get open, and John Brown just couldn’t get open. Brown ended the game with four targets and zero catches.
Coaching staff
While the play on the field wasn’t great, the decisions that were being made by Sean McDermott, Leslie Frazier, and Brian Daboll were abhorrent. Starting with the defense, the Bills were playing overly conservative to prevent the likes of Tyreek Hill from taking the top off the Bills defense. Which is all well and good, but it was the Chiefs rushing attack that was killing his defense. The defense needed to get aggressive and force the Chiefs to make a play, but they let the Chiefs run right down their throat. Pathetic coaching.
While McDermott and Frazier weren’t great, Daboll wasn’t any better. The Chiefs were sending pressure seemingly on every down, and kept trying to have Allen find the deep ball, which wasn’t working out. When the Bills offense was clicking, it was a balanced attack of running and passing, but Daboll almost abandoned the run in the second half, despite things never really turning into a blowout.
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