Fresh off of a game-saving play against the Denver Broncos, the Kansas City Chiefs will head to Buffalo to play the Bills for the first time since they ended their season in January.
Both the offense and the defense fell short in the win against the Broncos, and they will be looking for a chance to redeem themselves in this game. The Bills are coming off a win against the Colts and have won five straight.
The Chiefs are 25-29-1 against the Bills all time. However, they are 3-0 in playoff games against them since 2021. The Chiefs have scored 1150 points, while the Bills have scored 1227. In this contest, the Chiefs must put as much pressure on the Buffalo offense as possible. If Patrick Mahomes and the offense are behind early, it might be hard for them to come back.
Game Info
Date: Sunday, November 17
Start Time: 3:25 p.m. CT
Location: Buffalo, NY Stadium: Highmark Stadium
TV Info: CBS (Jim Nantz and Tony Romo on the call)
Chiefs Uniform Info: White Tops, Red Bottoms
Bills 2024 Statistical Rankings
Points Per Game: 29 (3rd)
Points Allowed Per Game: 19.3 (9th)
Offensive Yards Per Game: 343.2 (14th)
Passing/Rushing Yards Per Game: 222.5 (12th) and 120.7 (15th)
Defensive Yards Allowed Per Game: 336.1 (18th)
Passing/Rushing Yards Allowed Per Game: 212.9 (18th) and 123.2 (15th)
Third Down Offensive/Defensive Conversion Rate: 39.66% (15th) and 40% (21st)
Red Zone Offensive/Defensive Conversion Rate: 62.79% (7th) and 47.22% (8th)
Penalties: 65 (12th)
Penalty Yards: 493 (14th)
Players Already Ruled Out Before Sunday
Bills: Keon Coleman (WR), Matt Milano (OLB), Dalton Kincaid (TE)
Chiefs: Charles Omenihu (DE), Isiah Pacheco (RB)
Buffalo Bills
Defense
While the Bills' defense has hovered around the middle of the pack this season, it has been pretty good in certain situations. It is great at sacking the opposing quarterback, and in the Chiefs' case, Mahomes has been sacked more than most quarterbacks. It is also good at preventing touchdowns in the red zone. The Bills need to keep up with both of these successes if they want to have a shot at the Chiefs.
In essence, the Bills must find a way to stop the Chiefs. The Chiefs have some of the best success when faced with manageable third downs and create most of their damage in that context. If the Bills can create multiple third-and-long situations, it will get the Chiefs off the field faster.
In this contest, the Bills must keep up with everything they have been doing well this year. Keeping the Chiefs off the field is one of the most significant necessities since they have been able to create damage out of long possessions. If the Bills can keep the Chiefs from scoring in the red zone and allow field goals, they definitely have a chance to win.
Offense
It's clear that the Bills are in a great boat with Josh Allen as their quarterback. He is one of the best in the league and only gets better each year. However, he had a rough week against the Colts last week. For the Bills to win, Allen has to be on his A game.
That being said, the Bills' offense needs to take advantage of what the Chiefs give them, especially since the Chiefs have been struggling on the last plays of the game. If there is a chance for the offense to go ahead, they need to take it, no matter what.
In this game, the Bills need to focus on retaining the ball and staying on the field for long periods. The Chiefs' offense has this as one of its biggest strengths, and the Bills need to match it if they want to win.
Kansas City Chiefs
Defense
Last week, the defense had one of their worst showings this season. While they only allowed 14 points, there were quite a few times where mistakes would have haunted them more if they were playing a team with a better offense. The biggest issue for the Chiefs has been the fact that they have or almost have given up touchdowns on the final drives of each of the last three games. This could be a make-or-break drive against a team like the Bills, and Mahomes might not get the chance to bail them out in overtime.
The Chief's defense needs to focus on containing Allen in this game. Since the bye week, the defense has yet to allow a quarterback to throw for 300+ yards. Allen can do that, so the defense must ensure he is stopped.
In this contest, the defense needs to focus on its strengths. As long as the Chiefs can contain Allen in the red zone and prevent touchdowns to some extent, they should have a great chance of winning the game.
Offense
After battling a hamstring injury that sidelined him for a few weeks, Juju Smith-Schuster will finally return to game action this week. Thanks to the help of Deandre Hopkins, Smith-Schuster wasn't missed too much, but his presence will help immensely. This also gives rookie Xavier Worthy a break since he hasn't produced as much as the team would've liked him to.
Last week, the offense struggled against a Denver defense and almost got outsmarted by an offense far beneath its standards. The Chiefs have to up their game this week since they face a top offense in Buffalo. While barely keeping afloat has allowed them to win every game this season, it might not work in this one. Another thing is that kicker Harrison Butker was placed on injured reserve, so field goals will not be as automatic as they once were.
In this game, the offense needs to focus on retaining the ball. This has been one of the team's biggest assets, keeping their defense off the field for long periods and the opposing offense off the field. The Bills' offense is scary, so giving them less chance to score will be huge for the Chiefs.
Betting Info
Points Spread: BUF -2 (-112) | KC +2 (-110)
Moneyline: BUF -130 | KC +110
Over/Under: BUF U 46 (-108)| KC O 46 (-112)
Lines via DraftKings as of Friday, November 15
Prediction
While this game will be close, I feel like it will end up going down to the final minutes. The Chiefs have been the Bills' kryptonite for the past few seasons. However, historically, that has only been in the playoffs. I think the Bills will be the Chiefs' first test and hand them their first loss.
Final Score: Bills 20, Chiefs 17
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