Where Josh Allen, Stefon Diggs rank among NFL leaders post-Chiefs loss

Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen, WR Stefon Diggs in terms of NFL leaders following Week 6 of the 2020 season.

The Buffalo Bills offense did not have a great outing against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 6. Overall, Buffalo was outgained 466 to 206 total yards.

Ouch.

But despite all the shortcomings, the Bills still have some players among league leaders in terms of their personal stats after six games. Those two are quarterback Josh Allen and wide receiver Stefon Diggs.

Allen had a pretty bad showing vs. KC. Overall, he only completed about half of his passes (14-for-27), for only 122 yards with two touchdowns and a late interception. Still, Allen’s currently among NFL leaders in terms of passing yards.

In total, Allen has 1,711 yards in the air this season, good for fourth-best in the NFL. Technically, it’s the third-best among active QBs as well because the league-leaders, the Cowboys’ Dak Prescott, suffered a season-ending ankle injury and his totals aren’t going to increase any further:

In addition to his passing yards, Allen’s also still scoring the earth with his touchdown throws. Only the Seahawks’ Russell Wilson has more of those in 2020 with 19. Allen has 16. Finally, Allen’s QB rating of 108 is the seventh-best in the NFL.

In terms of Buffalo’s No. 1 receiver, Diggs, like Allen, is kind of the No. 3 overall player at his position as well (if you exclude Prescott for Allen’s sake). Overall, Diggs has 555 receiving yards this season:

In order to get there, Diggs has the third-most receptions as well after six games with 42 and is tied for the second-most catches of 20-plus yards with eight.

Against the Chiefs, Diggs, like Allen, had a modest statistical game. He did lead the Bills, though. Diggs had six catches for 46 yards and a touchdown on eight targets.

While Allen and Diggs do still rank amongst the league’s best, their average stats against the Chiefs did drop them a bit. After Week 5, both players ranked second-best in the NFL in terms of yards, having now dropped a slot or two.

Plenty of ground could be made up next week, though. Buffalo travels to the New York Jets. During the Bills’ season-opening meeting with the Jets, Allen had his first 300-yard outing of his career (312), while Diggs again led his team receiving with eight catches for 86 yards.

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Power rankings: Despite skid, Bills hang onto top-10 status

Buffalo Bills heading into Week 7 after Week 6 power rankings in NFL.

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The Buffalo Bills are facing one of their biggest challenge of the 20202 NFL season to date. The team has lost back-to-back games against AFC playoff contenders in the Titans and Chiefs, respectively, after starting the year with four-straight wins.

Considering the Bills’ quick rise among power ranking polls with their wining streak, the team and its leaders recognize the need to improve now. But as mentioned, the Bills did, in fact, lose to two pretty promising squads. Because of that, the most recent rankings actually aren’t too harsh to the Bills. Even with consecutive losses, it appears the national media, like the team’s players, aren’t going to panic just yet. Buffalo remained in many top-10s across the NFL landscape.

With that, here’s a look at where the Bills sit among national power rankings polls following Week 6:

USA TODAY

10. Bills (11)

Welp, apparently not ready for prime time. But that’s OK. They remain atop AFC East – although barely – and aren’t scheduled for their next showcase under the lights until December.

Touchdown Wire

9. Buffalo Bills (4-2. Last week: 8)

The Buffalo Bills and their fans were riding high coming into Week 5 of the NFL season. Josh Allen was playing like an MVP, and the offense was doing its part to allow a defense that many expected to be good again in 2020 to work out some inconsistencies on that side of the football.

The past two weeks have certainly changed the script.

After suffering a blowout loss at the hands of the Tennessee Titans last Tuesday night, the Bills lost to another top AFC team, falling to the Kansas City Chiefs by a final score of 26-17. Allen was not at his best for the second-straight week, completing 14 of 27 passes for just 122 yards, a pair of touchdowns, and an interception. Weather might have played a role, as it was rainy and raw in Buffalo on Monday night.

But more concerning than the weather is the defense. The Bills struggled against Patrick Mahomes – as teams tend to do – but they also struggled to stop the run. Rookie running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire ripped off 161 yards rushing on just 26 carries, keeping the Bills defense on the field for over 37 minutes of game time.

That unit, the Bills defense, has become a true concern for Buffalo. They entered Week 6 giving up an average of 28.4 points per game, 12th most in the league. Worse still is what they have done in terms of Total Defense DVOA, as the Bills entered Week 6 ranked just 27th. Continued play like that is going to force Josh Allen to be perfect for the Bills to win games, and when he is not like he was not against Kansas City, they are going to struggle.

Sports Illustrated

8. Buffalo Bills (4-2)

Last Week: Loss vs. Kansas City Chiefs 26-17

Next week: at New York Jets

That’s two straight losses for the Bills now, but I wouldn’t say it’s knocked their season off course. They are the best team in their division but seem to be a cut below the top-tier teams in the conference. They are dangerous enough to beat anyone on any given day, but come January they’ll likely have to do it on the road.

NFL.com

8. Buffalo Bills (4-2)

Previous rank: No. 7

“There’s no panic, but there is a sense of urgency.” Josh Allen said the right things after Monday night’s 26-17 loss to the Chiefs in Orchard Park, but there’s cause for concern after a pair of losses to elite AFC teams in the past seven days. Playing in rainy conditions, Allen never looked comfortable in another outing that recalled memories of his bumpy rookie year. Meanwhile, the defense is now officially A Problem. Andy Reid surprised all by unleashing a relentless run-based attack that bowled over the Buffalo defense for 245 yards on a whopping 46 attempts. With one last shot at redemption in the final minutes, the Bills’ defense was unable to get off the field, leading to a clinching Chiefs field goal. Just a disappointing night all the way around.

Sporting News

8. Buffalo Bills 4-2 (5)

The Bills’ defense got exposed badly because of injuries in Week 5 at the Titans. That requires Josh Allen to keep leading with clean offensive play even if the running continues to sputter. He won’t be curbed in trying to show off his bigger arm on the other side of Mahomes.

Yahoo! Sports

8. Buffalo Bills (4-2, LW: 7)

I’ve been high on the Bills, and I’m not bailing on them now. But that was ugly. The Chiefs were miles ahead of Buffalo in a big spot for the Bills. The offense flailed around in the rain, and the defense continued a very unimpressive start to the season. They’ll get it fixed. I think.

CBS Sports

9. Bills (-1)

They have lost two straight games and the offense has sputtered. They have to get back on track, and the Jets are the perfect team to make that happen this week.

Bleacher Report

8. Buffalo Bills (4-2)

High: 7

Low: 12

Last Week: 8

Week 6 Result: Lost 26-17 vs. Kansas City

The shine is coming off Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills.

Over the first month of the 2020 season, Allen completed over 70 percent of his passes as the Bills peeled off four straight wins. But over the last two weeks, he has looked a lot more like the erratic passer who couldn’t hit 60 percent his first two seasons in the league.

The numbers against the Kansas City Chiefs were ugly: 14-of-27 passing for 122 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. The Bills allowed more yards to Kansas City on the ground than Buffalo gained as a team.

It wasn’t just Allen, either. Buffalo’s run game continued to struggle with Devin Singletary and Zack Moss combining for 42 yards on 15 carries. Rookie running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire peeled off 161 yards on 26 carries against a Bills run defense that had no answers all night long.

That’s two straight games against postseason teams from last season—two straight opportunities to measure just how good these Bills really are.

And two straight times, they came up short.

Pro Football Talk

10. Bills (No. 8; 4-2)

When the Chiefs decide to run all day long, you know you have a really bad run defense.

ESPN

8. Buffalo Bills (4-2)

Week 6 ranking: 5

Most impactful injury: LB Matt Milano

Linebacker Tremaine Edmunds and cornerback Tre’Davious White have each missed a game to injury, but Milano has already been lost for three games in the first six weeks. When Milano doesn’t play, the middle of the Bills’ defense is exposed, especially in the passing game. Now in a contract year, Milano presents a conundrum for Buffalo’s front office: He is too valuable to let walk in free agency, but his injury history might put a cap on what type of salary he can command.

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PODCAST: Despite second loss, Bills do have big chance for rebound

Buffalo Bills podcast following Week 6 loss vs. Chiefs, chance for rebound vs. New York Jets.

The Buffalo Bills lost their second-straight game on Monday, falling to the defending Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs, 26-17. While the game wasn’t as one sided as last week, the Bills didn’t look to be there regular early-season standard.

The first half was brighter, with much better play calling on the part of offensive coordinator Brian Daboll. With a decent mix of run and pass plays, the Bills kept it relatively close with Kansas City. Devin Singletary ripped off some big runs, and the Bills were acting like a balanced team, operating unpredictably, but the second half was a big regression.

On both offense and defense, there were lapses and the Chiefs had full control. They never looked back. It certainly brings into question Daboll’s “offensive genius” and whetherd defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier has a future in Buffalo. Daboll, who was being looked at and discussed as a head coach candidate against sub par teams, isn’t proving to be effective against the best of the NFL. Frazier looks to potentially be the deserved scapegoat if this Bills team underperforms.

Buffalo can get back on track against the inferior Jets next week, as they return to their normally scheduled game days. It’s been a rough few weeks, but a game against the Jets could be what the doctor ordered.

Podcast host Matt Johnson and David De Cristofaro take you through Bills versus Chiefs in the latest episode of the Bills Wire podcast. Subscribe and then listen below:

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The Morning After: Bills still stuck in the middle

Morning after reaction to the Buffalo Bills’ Week 6 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

The second quarter of the Buffalo Bills season has brought the team back down to reality.

A potential powerhouse in the NFL? Contender in the AFC? Not exactly. The way things are looking for the Bills, they’re still stuck right in the middle.

After beating a couple of flawed teams that you’d probably also rank in the middle of a power rankings list, or perhaps below the Bills, Buffalo got the job done. Quarterback Josh Allen looked elite and McDermott potentially a Coach of the Year candidate against the likes of those squads.

Instead, a few weeks, Buffalo is not near that area any longer, and unfortunately, the Bills won’t have a chance to change this narrative for a couple of weeks now. Following a 4-2 start, the Bills have two critical games against divisional foes. In Week 7, the Bills travel to the Jets and then have their first game of the season against the Patriots.

Winning those games should be expected.

And kudos to the Bills for doing so against these types of opponents in the past. Good teams win game they’re expected to take. But they also knock off other good teams sometimes, or at least show signs of life against them.

Versus the Titans, the Bills were blown out. Against the Chiefs, it was really more of the same. The final score was 26-17 but Kansas City’s offensive game plan also took tons of time off the clock because of how much they rushed the ball and ate up the clock. It could’ve been much worse.

So now, after those, and during the morning after, the Bills are back to feeling like that Wild Card team that has a clear path to the postseason. A route the team successfully takes, too. But once they get there, they don’t make much noise. That is the Bills we’ve become accustomed to and the Bills we wanted more from.

Of course that’s much better than the playoff-drought Bills, but per The Athletic, Buffalo is 3-15 under McDermott against playoff teams. What’s one way to describe such a program?

A group stuck in the middle, and the Bills won’t have a chance to come out of that hole for another couple of weeks when they face the Seahawks and Cardinals in Weeks 9 and 10, respectively, before their bye week.

Still, no reason to jump off the bandwagon at this time, no matter how much of a bummer the latest development is. A 4-2 record is still a 4-2 record. There’s time to change this narrative surrounding the Bills, even if they lose to both the Seahawks and Cards.

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Sean McDermott explains scratching Trent Murphy, Harrison Phillips

Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott on healthy scratches for Trent Murphy, Harrison Phillips vs. Chiefs.

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Prior to kicking off against the Chiefs at all, the Bills made some surprising news. Defensive end Trent Murphy and defensive tackle Harrison Phillips would be watch this one from the sideline … or where ever healthy scratches do so during a COVID-19 NFL season.

Both veterans were exactly that, healthy scratches, in Week 6’s 26-17 loss for Buffalo. In turn, the Bills elevated defensive end Bryan Cox Jr. and defensive tackle Justin Zimmer to the active roster from the practice squad just before kickoff.

But the question still remained… why?

Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott explained just that following the game via video conference:

“Just, those two are good players, just wanted to get some looks at other guys who’ve practiced well and see if we can change things up a little bit. We may come back to those guys next week, we’ll see what the week holds here.”

McDermott never gives much away with his words, so regardless, we’ll let the actions speaking louder than words route here. The Bills clearly didn’t like what those two were providing them.

The idea could’ve been to get guys out on the field that were better against the pass. But unfortunately for the Bills, that didn’t pay dividends because Buffalo needed run stoppers, not pass rushers in this one.

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was sacked once by Mario Addison, but KC put up 245 rushing yards on the Bills defense. Led by rookie Clyde Edwards-Helaire’s 161 yards on the ground, it was the first time in Mahomes’ career that his team had more rushing yards than passing yards in a game… a very telling stat. The Bills need to focus on fixing this very leaky run defense and in a hurry.

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The Josh Allen guarantee (kind of): ‘I will be better’

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen says he will be better following Week 6 loss vs. the Kansas City Chiefs.

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The Buffalo Bills defense clearly has some glaring issues, and it’s almost shocking to see the unit held the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs to only 26 points. There was potential for many more.

But perhaps because of that, Bills quarterback Josh Allen was not blaming anyone else but himself and the offense for his team’s 26-17 loss to the Chiefs on Monday.

“We weren’t good enough, I was not good enough,” Allen said. “I’ve got to do a better job, it’s plain and simple.”

Overall, Allen’s stat line was not pretty. Heading into Week 6 leading the NFL in passing yards aside from the Cowboys’ Dak Prescott who’s now out for the year… Allen’s not there anymore. The Bills QB only had 122 passing yards with two touchdowns and albeit an impressive play defensively, he did throw an interception as well.

While perhaps not Joe Namath at Super Bowl III, following his worst game of the 2020 season to date, Allen did make a guarantee of sorts. He said this game will be just that… the worst one of the season for him. Allen said it will only go up from here and he will improve.

And why does he think so? Simply because there’s no other option for Allen’s team in his mind.

“I can’t afford… this team can’t afford for me to play poorly,” Allen said via video conference. “It didn’t matter who we played tonight, if that’s how we play, we’re going to struggle to win games… it is what it is right now, we’ll learn from this, I’m obviously super frustrated with myself with how I preformed tonight. I can’t do that to this team. I’ve got to be better, I will be better.”

Some poor weather didn’t help, but Allen had a lack of accuracy throughout the loss to the Chiefs. Eventually it did turn around momentarily. On Buffalo’s final scoring drive, every yard gained was due to either Allen’s arm or legs. But Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott pointed to one thing in particular that his offense might need to focus on improving at: Starting quicker.

Against the Chiefs, a three-and-out to start the game. In Week 5 against the Titans, it was an opening-drive interception.

“We didn’t get off to a good start offensively,” McDermott said. “We’ve got to get off to a better start and that’s two weeks in a row, and so, I think that affected our rhythm offensively in the first half.”

Granted yes, those aren’t great starts, but in both contests, the Bills did put points up in their second offensive drives. The problem could just simply be a lack of consistency overall because in each game, Allen & Co. just eventually go silent… or in the case of the running game, don’t show up much at all.

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Bills Wire’s Week 6 Player of the Game: WR Stefon Diggs

Buffalo Bills Week 6 Player of the Game vs. the Kansas City Chiefs: Wide receiver Stefon Diggs.

The Bills dropped their second-straight game to the Kansas City Chiefs, and while it may seem dismal, we have Player of the Week awards to hand out.

Wide receiver Stefon Diggs continues to be a consistent bright spot in this offense, and despite low yards, he gets our nod for Player of the Week. Diggs caught six passes for 46 yards and had an excellent touchdown for the Bills. After drawing a defensive pass interference penalty on the goal line, Diggs caught the eventual touchdown pass from quarterback Josh Allen with a tip-toe catch on the edge of the end zone.

Diggs is actually a two-time recipient of Bills Wire’s Player of the Game after earning it in Buffalo’s Week 2 win over the Dolphins. The Bills have a chance to rebound in a big way against the winless Jets next week at MetLife Stadium.

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5 takeaways from the Bills’ 26-17 loss to the Chiefs

Takeaways from Buffalo Bills’ 26-17 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 6.

The Buffalo Bills hoped to bounce back after their first loss of the year last week against the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday. Instead, anything but that happened as the Chiefs handed a 26-17 loss to the Bills in Week 6.

The Bills offense didn’t put enough up on the scoreboard again, but most fingers will still point toward the defense, and deservedly so. Earlier this season, one could feel confident that this side of the ball would turn it around. Not so much anymore. What happened to this elite unit?

With that, here are five takeaways from the Bills’ loss to the Chiefs:

Chiefs’ Clyde Edwards-Helaire. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)

This run defense stinks

There’s not really a nicer way to say it: Buffalo’s run defense… stinks.

In the early portions of the season, the Bills offense was so strong that opposing offenses had to quit running the ball early in games. Because of that, Buffalo’s defense was technically a top-10 unit against the run this season through the first four games. But actually looking at it, in terms of yards per carry, the Bills haven’t been good stopping the run at all this year.

Against the Chiefs, it might’ve hit rock bottom. It’s a good thing that Le’Veon Bell wasn’t allowed to play in this one… not that he was even needed, though. Rookie rusher Clyde Edwards-Helaire started the game with 60 yards on his first six carries alone. By halftime, Edwards-Helaire was up to 94 yards rushing. Overall, Edwards-Helaire had a massive 161 rushing yards.

But it wasn’t just Edwards-Helaire. Darrell Williams had just as strong of a game, which included a rushing touchdown on fourth and inches from 13 yards out. He wasn’t even touched on the play. It ended up being just the fourth time an Andy Reid coached team had 200-plus yards rushing in a game, as the Chiefs put up 245 yards, in total, on the ground. So much for Patrick Mahomes throwing the ball all over the place?

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Report: Bills CB Tre’Davious White expected to play vs. Chiefs

Buffalo Bills CB Tre’Davious White expected to play vs. Kansas City Chiefs.

The Buffalo Bills are going to have the services of cornerback Tre’Davious White against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 6.

ESPN’s Dianna Russini said on SportsCenter approximately two hours before kickoff that White is expected to go on the field for warmups and test out his injured back which caused him to miss his team’s Week 5 loss against the Titans. But it was said that White is “expected” to play.

White, an All-Pro in 2019, will be a welcomed addition to the team’s secondary after him and No. 2 CB, Levi Wallace, missed last week’s game. There was no update provided on Wallace though, who has an ankle injury.

Check back to Bills Wire prior to kickoff against the Titans for the full inactive lists set to be released by both the Bills and Chiefs 90 minutes before kickoff.

White was previously listed as “questionable” on Buffalo’s final injury report the team released on Saturday.

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Bills elevated Bryan Cox Jr., Justin Zimmer from practice squad

DE Bryan Cox Jr., DT Justin Zimmer elevated from Buffalo Bills practice squad ahead of Week 6 vs. Kansas City Chiefs.

The Bills have elevated defensive end Bryan Cox Kr. and defensive tackle Justin Zimmer from their practice squad ahead of Monday’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs. The team announced the moves just over two hours prior to kickoff.

Zimmer was called up from the practice squad once already this season, ahead of Buffalo’s season opener against the Jets. He had four tackles. Cox makes his first appearance with the Bills.

Reported earlier in the day on Monday, the Bills are said be scratching defensive tackle Harrison Phillips and defensive end Trent Murphy for their meeting with the Chiefs. Calling up the two guys from the practice squad all but assures that will take place at 3:30 p.m. when the team announces their inactive list for Week 6.

Here’s that previous coverage:

Report: Trent Murphy, Harrison Phillips to be scratched vs. Chiefs

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