Tag: bills

Bills vs. Chiefs: 3 keys to the game for both teams

Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs 3 keys to Week 6 game.

One of the most anticipated matchups on the 2020 schedule is happening a few days later than originally thought, but it is here. The Buffalo Bills getting a crack at the defending Super Bowl Champions, the Kansas City Chiefs, on Monday, instead of the first slated time for this meeting on Thursday.

Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes, two of the strongest arms in football, are meeting for the first time in this game between two of the most talented young quarterbacks in the NFL today. Both sides are coming off of their first loss of the season as well, so it’s an important rebound game in an uncertain and deep AFC.

With that, let’s take a look at the keys to victory for both teams:

Kansas City Chiefs

1. Do what the Chiefs normally do on offense

Kansas City, since giving Patrick Mahomes the reigns of the offense in 2018, has become one of the most dynamic and aggressive units in the NFL. Mahomes’ ability to make plays happen, in ways that quarterbacks are taught not to, has remained a constant advantage that is quite difficult to game plan against.

If the Bills defense allowed as many points as they did to the Tennessee Titans, Kansas City should certainly have an easy time doing what they’re used to, Although they won’t have former Bill Sammy Watkins or newly acquired running back Le’veon Bell, there’s still plenty of supporting cast talent.

Playmakers Travis Kelce, Tyreek Hill, Clyde Edwards-Helaire are some of the leagues finest at their respective positions, and the Chiefs has maintained great depth on their roster. Mahomes and this Chiefs offense should be able to move the ball effectively against this defense.

2. Control the clock and gas the defense

While we acknowledge that the Chiefs should have little trouble moving the ball against the Bills, it’s important not to get too excited. Great quarterbacks who play against other great quarterbacks have an added job. Keep the football away from the other guy.

Chiefs coach Andy Reid has shown poor clock management in his career, but against the Bills, who have moved the ball quickly and efficiently for the most part of the season, the game plan should be to take their time. This mediocre Bills defense is easily gassed, and there’s no need to hurry up and score beyond perhaps the first drive. Run the ball, throw short to mid range passes, and have fun along the way.

This helps the Chiefs defense, which is very well coached, and gives them plenty of time to rest against the normally high octane offense that the Bills bring.

3. Keep flustering Allen

Watching the Bills play the Titans last week, Allen has composure issues when he can’t do what he wants. When mistakes start to pile up, his emotions can effect his play. It was apparent that the game planning Titans coach Mike Vrabel put in place had flustered Allen, and the team looked different. Drives were much shorter, and chemistry between the Bills offense seemed off.

Get in Allen’s face, rough him up a bit. Blitz packages with a touch of a tighter zone coverage. It gives the secondary time to read what Allen is doing, while the pass rush is chasing him out of the pocket.

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4 Chiefs players to watch in Week 6 vs. Bills

Keep an eye on these four players as the Kansas City Chiefs take on the Buffalo Bills.

As the Kansas City Chiefs prepare to face the Buffalo Bills in their third Monday night game of the season, each player faces the challenge of preparing for a tough AFC conference opponent. The Bills have a history of playing the Chiefs tough and lead the overall series 26-21-1.

Kansas City will hope for a couple of big performances from several of their players in order to come away with a win on the road in Week 6. Here are four Chiefs players, including one player from each phase of the game, to keep an eye on this Sunday:

Bills HC Sean McDermott on facing mentor Andy Reid: ‘I’m sure he wants to kick my butt’

Sean McDermott spoke a lot about his former mentor Andy Reid on Wednesday.

When the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills face off in Week 6, there will be plenty of stories dominating the headlines. Both teams have the same record in the AFC conference, they’ve got two of the best young quarterbacks in the NFL. For the two head coaches involved, it’s a chance to one-up an old friend.

Bills HC Sean McDermott is an Andy Reid disciple, coming up through the Philadelphia Eagles organization. His first job title in the NFL was, “Assistant to the Head Coach.” That coach, of course, was Reid. McDermott would eventually advance through the coaching ranks, working defensive quality control, secondary, cornerbacks, and linebackers coaching jobs before landing the job as defensive coordinator in 2009. He’d eventually fill the same role with the Carolina Panthers before landing as the head coach of the Bills in 2017.

McDermott and Reid will face off for the second time since Reid has been in Kansas City. McDermott got the first game in the series with his Bills notching a 16-10 win over the Chiefs in 2017. McDermott has a pretty good idea of what to expect from his mentor’s approach to this upcoming game.

“I’m sure he wants to kick my butt and we’re going to want to do the same,” McDermott told reporters on Wednesday. “I mean that’s the one thing I know about Andy, the offseason is the offseason and in-season is the in-season. So when we play each other we go hard at each other and then before and after the game we’re friends. I think we have a mutual respect for each other and a good friendship.”

That mutual respect was ever apparent as Reid commented on McDermott on Thursday. It also seems that McDermott was spot on about Reid’s approach to the upcoming game. Once the kickoff happens, they’ll be opponents.

“I would tell you that I’m proud of those guys and the job they do,” Reid said. “I mean, Sean is tremendous. He’s got a couple of guys on his staff who were with us too in Philadelphia. I think he’s done a great job out there. I’m proud of him and the job that he’s done. . . . It’s different, once the kickoff happens you’re into play mode. You don’t think too much of it at that particular time.”

McDermott continued to talk about Reid and the current Chiefs’ team. He knows how they’ve built a championship team in Kansas City. He even modeled his vision for the Bills franchise in a similar fashion.

“You know I learned a lot from Andy and we could talk for hours about what I learned from Andy,” McDermott said. “I mean he’s probably, professionally my biggest mentor in the business. I think the biggest thing I learned from Andy is just— when he got the job in Philadelphia he had a plan and a vision. A lot of people have a vision for where they want to go but the day-to-day, week-to-week, month-to-month plan to accomplish that vision, I think, was probably the biggest thing [that I learned from Reid]. And how to execute that and adjust as need be.”

Ultimately, McDermott knows that Buffalo stands in the way of the Chiefs getting back to the Super Bowl. Similarly, if he wants the Bills to be taken seriously as a contender, knocking off his old mentor and the reigning Super Bowl champions is the best way to do it. It should make for a competitive and dramatic showdown in the early evening on Monday.

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Report: Chiefs among final three teams Le’Veon Bell is considering

A decision from Bell could come as soon as today.

Recently released New York Jets RB Le’Veon Bell has narrowed down his next NFL home to one of three teams. The Kansas City Chiefs are among the three finalist teams according to a new report.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports that Bell has narrowed down his search barring unforeseen change and is still weighing offers from three teams. Those teams are the Bills, Chiefs and Dolphins. His decision could come as early as today according to Fowler’s report. He also mentioned that a reunion with the Steelers was an unlikely scenario.

All three of the teams that Bell is considering play in the AFC, with two teams playing in the same division as his former team.

Buffalo and Kansas City make sense for Bell as potential playoff contenders, with both teams having 4-1 records on the season. The Chiefs have a better situation in terms of their running back room with Clyde Edwards-Helaire as the only true competition for playing time. Bell would have to fight Devin Singletary, Zack Moss and TJ Yeldon for minutes in Buffalo.

As for Miami, that’s where Bell trains during the offseason, somewhere he considers to be home. That team makes some sense if they’re looking to sign him to a long-term deal. But at 1-3 it doesn’t make much sense for him to play there on a short-term contract.

There is another common thread that each of these teams has. They all face the Jets within the next three weeks of NFL play.

The Chiefs face New York on Nov. 1, giving Bell the most time to get up to speed and face his old team. That could be something that factors into his decision as his time with the Jets went that poorly.

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Chiefs open as 4-point favorites over Bills in Week 6

Kansas City goes to Buffalo as favorites after a Week 5 loss by both the Bills and Chiefs.

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The Kansas City Chiefs (4-1) open the week as rare road favorites against the Buffalo Bills (4-1) when the two face off in their rescheduled game on Monday.

BetMGM’s betting lines for Week 6 have the Chiefs listed as favorites over the Bills. Both teams unexpectedly lost their Week 5 matchups to teams viewed as inferior opponents. Still, it’s a bit surprising to see Kansas City favored in a road matchup against another good football team. Oddsmakers tend to favor the home team.

At BetMGM, the Chiefs are currently listed as 4-point favorites over the Buffalo. The current money line is at -200 for Kansas City and +170 for the Bills. The over/under point total is set at 57.5 points. The Chiefs have an implied win probability of 66.67% in this matchup

The last time Kansas City opened up as a favorite on the road following a loss was Week 11 of the 2019 season. After losing a winnable game to the Tennessee Titans, they went on the road to face the Los Angeles Chargers in a neutral stadium in Mexico City. This game has a familiar feeling apart from playing on neutral ground.

Both the Bills and the Chiefs are coming off a loss in Week 5 and will be highly motivated to perform better heading into this game. It should make for some theatrics in the early evening on Monday between two of the most promising young quarterbacks in the game.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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PODCAST: Titans blowout Bills, Can Buffalo rebound against Chiefs?

Buffalo Bills podcast following Week 5 loss vs. Titans, look ahead to Chiefs.

It was a rude awakening for the Buffalo Bills on Tuesday as the Titans had their way with the AFC East front-runners. The Titans were never behind on the scoreboard, as they picked off Josh Allen twice and moved the ball effectively against Buffalo’s regressed defense.

However, it’s not time to panic. It was a strange week and many were uncertain that these two teams would even play. With the Titans COVID situation Buffalo was forced to game plan for two top teams in the AFC. Though there are flaws, it is only one game.

The Titans had their way with the Bills defense, who was surprisingly missing several key pieces, including Tre White. There were several highlight reel plays against the Bills waning defense, especially the stiff arm of Josh Norman at the hand of Derrick Henry. The regression may have some folks calling for the removal of Leslie Frazier, if this season doesn’t end the way that many believe it can; a Super Bowl appearance.

The Bills looked out of sync offensively as well, missing John Brown and Zach Moss. Despite Brown being out, who is unquestionably the number two wide receiver, second to Diggs, Cole Beasley received minimal looks, including no targets in the first half. It was a terrible performance on both sides of the ball.

Listen in as Bills Wire podcast hosts Matt and David take you through the night’s action right here:

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Bills won’t let one game define them

Entering Tuesday night, the Bills were 4-0 and being touted as one of the best teams in the league. As is often the case in the NFL, things changed quickly.

Entering Tuesday, the Bills were 4-0 and being touted as one of the best teams in the league. As is often the case in the NFL, things changed quickly.

After suffering a brutal 42-16 loss at the hands of the Tennessee Titans, the Bills must refocus and regroup without allowing any sort of ripple effect to form. They don’t want this ugly loss to snowball and preventing that was exactly what was on quarterback Josh Allen’s mind immediately following the game.

“It is what it is,” Allen said. “We’re not going to let this game define us. You can’t win them all… we’re not going to make this a bigger thing than it needs to be.”

Allen, as has often been the case when the team faces adversity during his tenure as the team’s starting quarterback, took a bulk of the blame.

“We got punched in the mouth and didn’t respond like we should have… I didn’t play well enough for our team to win tonight,” Allen said.

Bills safety Micah Hyde had a similar view from his vantage point on defense as well.

“This isn’t going to define our season,” Hyde said. “When a loss like this happens, you have to look at yourself in the mirror. I have 100% confidence in the team…we’re not going to go undefeated now. Cool, on to next week.”

Towards the end of the game, the CBS cameras caught Allen walking down the sideline shaking the hands of all of his teammates, encouraging them in the toughest moment the team has had to face thus far this season, which showcased the young QB’s growth as this team’s leader.

Talks of Allen being an MVP candidate will now soften, at least for the time being, and the Bills will likely revert back to an underdog role, which they have embraced in the past, but the team has no time to feel sorry for itself.

“We’re 4-1 and we have the defending Super Bowl champs coming to our house next week,” Allen said. “We have to defend our dirt.”

The Bills indeed have another big challenge on deck with Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs coming to Orchard Park on Monday. The team must take the words of Allen and Hyde to heart and not let one bad loss define them immediately and put their minds… onto the next one.

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Bills Wire’s Week 5 Player of the Game: RB T.J. Yeldon

As the Bills lost their first game of the 2020 season, there was a challenge in finding a Bills Wire Player of the Week.

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As the Bills lost their first game of the 2020 season, there was a challenge in finding a Bills Wire Player of the Week. No one on the Bills played particularly… well… in a 42-16 loss. 

However, the player that showed the most spark throughout the evening was running back TJ Yeldon. The unlikely choice for a Player of the Week nod led the team in rushing yards, with 52, and caught a 22-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter.

Buffalo hopes to rebound next Monday against the Kansas City Chiefs and get back on track after this bump in the road after a wishy-washy game.

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NFL officially announces rescheduled Chiefs-Bills Week 6 game

The Chiefs-Bills game is moving to Monday in Week 6.

The Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills now have some confirmation on when their Week 6 game will be played. The NFL has officially announced several changes to its schedule due to issues related to COVID-19. Here is a rundown of all the changes:

Following the postponement of the Week 5 Denver Broncos at New England Patriots game, the NFL announced today the following schedule changes:

 

  • The Kansas City Chiefs at Buffalo Bills Week 6 game moves from Thursday, October 15 to Monday, October 19 at 5:00 p.m. ET on FOX/NFL Network/Amazon.

 

  • The Denver Broncos at New England Patriots game will be played in Week 6 on Sunday, October 18 at 1 p.m. ET on CBS.

 

  • The New York Jets at Miami Dolphins game moves from Week 10 to Week 6 at 4:05 p.m. ET on CBS.

 

  • The New York Jets at Los Angeles Chargers game moves from Week 6 to Week 11 on Sunday, November 22 at 4:05 p.m. ET on CBS.

 

  • The Jacksonville Jaguars at Los Angeles Chargers game moves from Week 8 to Week 7 on Sunday, October 25 at 4:25 p.m. ET on CBS.

 

  • The Los Angeles Chargers at Denver Broncos game moves from Week 11 to Week 8 on Sunday, November 1 at 4:05 p.m. ET on CBS.

 

  • The Los Angeles Chargers at Miami Dolphins game moves from Week 7 to Week 10 on Sunday, November 15 at 4:05 p.m. ET on CBS.

 

  • The Miami Dolphins at Denver Broncos game moves from Week 6 to Week 11 at 4:05 p.m. ET on CBS.

This will be the third Monday night game for Kansas City so far this season after their Week 4 game against the New England Patriots was played on “Monday Night Football.” It’ll give the team a bit of extra time to prepare after a noon game on Sunday in Week 5.

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Report: Chiefs-Bills Week 6 game tentatively rescheduled from Thursday to Sunday

The rescheduling all depends on if the Tennessee Titans and Buffalo Bills game in Week 5 is actually played.

The Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills Week 6 game on Thursday, Oct. 15 has been tentatively rescheduled, moving from “Thursday Night Football” to Sunday, Oct. 18. This comes following an earlier report from ESPN that the game could be pushed to Saturday. It’s all part of a chain reaction caused by the COVID-19 outbreak on the Tennessee Titans.

According to a new report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the NFL is moving two games. The Titans-Bills Week 5 game, scheduled to be played on Sunday, Oct. 11, is being moved to Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. so long as there are no more positive tests.

The Chiefs-Bills game is moving to Sunday on a tentative basis, depending on whether or not the Titans-Bills game can be played this week. If there are more positive cases in Tennessee and the game with Buffalo can’t be played, the Chiefs-Bills game would revert back to its originally scheduled time on Thursday.

Right now we don’t have an updated kickoff time for a Chiefs-Bills game taking place on Sunday. It’s likely that the NFL won’t make a decision on that until absolutely necessary. Ultimately, Buffalo or Kansas City will get to play in Week 6 on short rest, in a game that could have serious implications in the AFC conference.

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