What We Saw: Week 5

Alvin Kamara looked like the Alvin Kamara we all know and love

Ben Brown
What We Saw 3 Years Ago
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Introduction
Rams @ Seahawks
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Bills @ Chiefs

Bills @ Chiefs

Final Score: Bills 38, Chiefs 20

Writer: Corey Saucier (@Deputy_Commish on Twitter, /u/Lights_Kamara_Action on Reddit)

 

It took a while for things to get going again after an hour and two-minute weather delay at halftime on Sunday night, but the lightning and the rain weren’t enough to slow down QB Josh Allen and the Bills’ offense. Kansas City’s defense gave up a ton of big plays in the first half – Buffalo’s 12 yards-per-play average was the highest for a team in the first half of an NFL game since the 2019 season. Allen got involved on the ground early by picking up 42 of his 59 total rushing yards on Buffalo’s first drive, and then capping said drive by scoring the game’s first TD on this 9-yard scamper:

 

 

On the other sideline, QB Patrick Mahomes failed to live up to his end of this dynamic young QB showdown. Mahomes had his worst fantasy outing of the season so far – accounting for 3 total turnovers and failing to pass for 300 yards or more for his 3rd consecutive game. Mahomes has still been a solid fantasy QB so far in 2021, but things have seemed a little off in Kansas City with the Chiefs sitting at 2-3. Mahomes struggled with his accuracy at times throughout the night, and Buffalo was able to get pressure on him fairly consistently. But like Allen, Mahomes was also able to provide some production with his legs – with his 8 carries and 61 rushing yards both being season highs. Chiefs’ RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire was knocked out of the game nearly halfway through the third quarter after being bent over awkwardly on this hit:

 

 

It was mentioned after Edwards-Helaire was carried off of the field that he was able to walk to the x-ray room under his power, so we hope Clyde is okay and we will be sure to keep an eye on his status moving forward. Did the rest of your team get enough from Sunday night to get you a win? Let’s dive into what we saw:

 

Buffalo Bills

 

Quarterbacks

 

Josh Allen: 15/26, 315 yards, 3 TD | 11 carries, 59 yards, TD

 

The big plays kept coming for Josh Allen on Sunday night on the road against Kansas City’s miserable defensive effort. Allen’s first rush attempt went for 22 yards. His first pass attempt was completed to TE Dawson Knox for 23 yards. 5 of Allen’s 7 completions in the first half went for 20 or more yards leading him to absolutely astonishing efficiency. It’s crazy to imagine that a fantasy QB could produce at such a high level with only 15 completions. But Josh Allen is that dude. Chunking bombs all over the field aside, Allen put on a show with his legs as well, and not just with the TD run that we saw above, but with this nifty little move on 3rd and 4 to pick up a critical first down:

 

 

Oh, and did I mention that this guy can throw the ball a bit, too? Check out this absolute laser, on the run, 53-yards to TE Dawson Knox just before halftime:

 

 

Running Backs

 

Zack Moss: 11 carries, 37 yards | 4 targets, 3 receptions, 55 yards

Devin Singletary: 6 carries, 25 yards | 2 targets, 1 reception, -2 yards

 

We didn’t see a whole ton of production from Buffalo’s RBs on Sunday night considering Josh Allen was also the team’s leading rusher. That being said, it was interesting to see RB Zack Moss out-touch fellow backfield mate Devin Singletary 14-7, where their splits had been more even in recent weeks. Moss was the better option on Sunday night – finishing with 90+ total yards for the second time in the last 3 weeks. Moss dropped his first target of the night, but Allen showed his trust in Moss as a receiver by throwing to Moss immediately after for a 24-yard gain. It’s tough to say why Moss was the benefactor of a larger workload in this contest, but it will be interesting to monitor going forward.

 

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

 

Stefon Diggs: 5 targets, 2 receptions, 69 yards

Emmanuel Sanders: 5 targets, 3 reception, 54 yards, 2 TD

Dawson Knox: 4 targets, 3 receptions, 117 yards, TD

Cole Beasley: 2 targets, 1 reception, 5 yards

 

Those of you out there who spent a high draft pick to land WR Stefon Diggs as your WR1 this season have likely been disappointed with his performance so far. After his first 100+ yard receiving game of the year last week against Houston, his managers were hoping to see him build on that performance this week – not go backward to post his lowest scoring output of the season against a choice matchup in Kansas City. Diggs was able to haul in a 61-yard bomb from Allen, but the ball was slightly underthrown – causing Diggs to turn back and slow down for it. If it had a little more air underneath it, it’s possible Diggs could have scored. While Diggs still has only one TD on the year, his fellow WR Emmanuel Sanders hauled in his 3rd and 4th TDs of the year on Sunday night. His first was this 35-yard missile from Allen to give Buffalo the lead for good:

 

 

His second TD grab came late in the game to put it away:

 

 

We saw plenty of TE Dawson Knox‘s name in the tweet earlier, but after the past few weeks, it deserves to be seen. Knox had another huge night on an insanely efficient 3 catches for 100+ yards and his 4th straight game with at least 1 TD. Even when Knox wasn’t catching TDs on Sunday night, he was still making crazy catches:

 

 

Kansas City Chiefs

 

Quarterback

 

Patrick Mahomes: 33/54, 272 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT | 8 carries, 61 yards, Fumble (Lost)

 

As we mentioned in the opener, it wasn’t exactly the greatest of nights for Chiefs’ QB Patrick Mahomes although it wasn’t really the worst night for him, either. The turnovers hurt his production, but his 61 rushing yards basically made up for them. Mahomes looked sharp on his first TD pass of the night to WR Byron Pringle:

 

 

And on his second TD of the night to TE Travis Kelce, he looked maybe not so sharp, but it was definitely a nifty little play:

 

 

The rain in the second half didn’t do Mahomes and the Chiefs’ offense any favors. On a stretch of 4 possessions, the TD to Kelce happened, but also all 3 of Mahomes’ turnovers happened as well. Mahomes’ play at least partly kept the Chiefs from competing for a victory down the stretch, but it may have just been enough to get your fantasy team a W this week.

 

Running Backs

 

Clyde Edwards-Helaire: 7 carries, 13 yards | 2 targets, 1 reception, 11 yards

Darrel Williams: 5 carries, 27 yards | 5 targets, 3 receptions, 18 yards

Jerick McKinnon: 1 carry, 2 yards | 2 targets, 2 receptions, 13 yards

 

As we mentioned above, Chiefs’ starting RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire was knocked out of the game with a knee injury in the third quarter, but he hadn’t been effective at all up to that point. Similarly to Buffalo’s offense on Sunday night, the Chiefs were able to find the most room on the ground when their QB was the one running the ball. RB Darrel Williams would be the next in line to take on more RB touches if Edwards-Helaire ends up missing any time – and it seems like that is a likely possibility at this point.

 

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

 

Tyreek Hill: 13 targets, 7 receptions, 63 yards | 1 carry, 15 yards

Travis Kelce: 10 targets, 6 receptions, 57 yards, TD

Mecole Hardman: 12 targets, 9 receptions, 76 yards

Byron Pringle: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 11 yards, TD

Josh Gordon: 1 target, 1 reception, 11 yards

 

It was mostly a quiet night for WR Tyreek Hill and the Chiefs’ WR group on Sunday. Buffalo opted to play 2 deep safeties for most of the contest and decided to keep Hill in front of them similarly to how Baltimore did back in Week 2. Hill still led the team in targets and his 7 catches boosted his PPR production to a respectable amount. That being said, Mahomes’ pick-six went right through Hill’s hands and is at least partially on him. TE Travis Kelce did find the end-zone for the first time since back in Week 2 and would have had an even more productive game if not for a few errant Mahomes throws. Kelce was also the victim of multiple defensive penalties on the night – including an ugly shot to the helmet by a defensive player’s shoulder pad. Kelce wouldn’t return to the game, and afterward, Chiefs’ head coach Andy Reid mentioned that Kelce had suffered a stinger on the play. WR Mecole Hardman surprisingly paced the pass-catching group for Kansas City in both receptions and receiving yardage. But this blurb wouldn’t be complete without mentioning perhaps the single-greatest highlight clip from the entire game – I present to you, WR Josh Gordon‘s first catch as a Kansas City Chief:

 

 

 

— Corey Saucier (@Deputy_Commish on Twitter, /u/Lights_Kamara_Action on Reddit)

Series Navigation
Introduction
Rams @ Seahawks
Jets @ Falcons
Lions @ Vikings
Broncos @ Steelers
Packers @ Bengals
Dolphins @ Buccaneers
Saints @ Football Team
Eagles @ Panthers
Titans @ Jaguars
Patriots @ Texans
Bears @ Raiders
Browns @ Chargers
Giants @ Cowboys
49ers @ Cardinals
Bills @ Chiefs

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