Kansas City Chiefs @ Buffalo Bills
Final Score: Bills 28, Chiefs 21
Writer: Cody Parker @codyjparker
While not quite the fireworks display this matchup is known for, the latest entry in the Kansas City Chiefs-Buffalo Bills rivalry gave us yet another exciting matchup. The Bills prevailed, as Josh Allen handily won the QB duel, however, a late FG miss gave us our typical close game and an opportunity for Patrick Mahomes to tie the game, which ultimately never came to fruition.
Three Up
- James Cook — The fantasy production was only fine, but Cook was the engine behind the Buffalo offense in this game. He looked terrific, and stepped up in critical moments for the Bills.
- Dalton Kincaid — The playing time is less than ideal, but Kincaid made the most of his opportunities once again. He’s a good high-roll option on one of the league’s best offenses (without a true alpha receiver).
- Rashee Rice — You’ve got to love it when your WR also gets goal-line carries!
Three Down
- Patrick Mahomes — Mahomes will be fine, but he struggled in this game, and unlike earlier in the year, didn’t compensate with rushing production.
- Brashard Smith — Smith continued to be a bit player on offense, and with Isiah Pacheco likely returning, it’s unclear when he’ll have better opportunities.
- Xavier Worthy — Worthy did have seven targets in this game, but he’s been the most impacted by Rice’s return, and there probably isn’t room to feed everyone. The Chiefs seemed to prioritize Travis Kelce and Rice.
Kansas City Chiefs
Quarterback
Patrick Mahomes: 15/34, 250 Yards, INT | 1 Carry, 5 Yards
This was the worst I’ve seen Patrick Mahomes play this year. Namely, he failed to stay in the pocket and gave himself unnecessarily difficult throws throughout the game. The blocking wasn’t great, but there was simply no effort made to stay in rhythm for much of the game. We’re dealing with a two-time MVP winner here. He made some of those throws, but as you can tell from his 44% completion rate that many failed to find their target.
I would be remiss to not give tons of credit to the Bills’ defense, however, especially defensive coordinator Bobby Babich. He clearly put a lot of work into finding what made Mahomes struggle, and the Chiefs’ passer looked uncomfortable and confused all game.
Mahomes only ran once in this game, but the biggest reason for that was excellent pocket containment by the Bills. He was only able to break the pocket on situations where he drifted backwards, creating difficult throws and very few scrambling opportunities.
Running Back
Kareem Hunt: 11 Carries, 49 Yards, TD | 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 6 Yards
The announcing team made a lot out of the “Hunt Bunt,” Kansas City’s self-given name for Kareem Hunt‘s short-yardage work. It’s both a stupid and unnecessary name for what is just a halfback rush attempt, but it does speak to Kansas City’s eagerness to use Hunt in short-yardage situations. According to the broadcast, Hunt had been more successful on short-yardage situations this season than Jalen Hurts had been on the tush push, and while Hunt did score on a goal-line carry, there were many instances of him failing to convert on these situations. He’s a reliable veteran, but he just doesn’t have much juice anymore.
With Isiah Pacheco injured, Hunt was a bigger part of the Chiefs’ rushing attack, though they carried the ball just 20 times. Regrettably, this will still be a murky situation when Pacheco returns.
Brashard Smith: 3 Carries, 7 Yards | 1 Target, 0 Receptions
Smith was the player I was most interested in seeing Sunday. As I’ve mentioned previously, he’s a player I’ve been a big fan of, but I was also skeptical of how much of a true RB the Chiefs viewed him as. With Pacheco missing this game, it was a chance to get further insight into the subject. Unfortunately, I once again concluded that the Chiefs view him as more of a gadget player than anything else. I’ve seen Smith compared to Jerick McKinnon. There is a key difference between the two, and that’s pass blocking. McKinnon was a trusted pass protector, while Smith currently isn’t. To my eyes, the Chiefs were playing Hunt on most pass-blocking reps. This was something I looked to verify, and according to PFF, not only did Smith not have a pass-blocking rep in this game, he hasn’t had one all season.
Smith has excellent receiving skills, but if he’s literally not playing at all in pass-blocking situations, there is a very limited opportunity for him to show those skills. Sadly, I don’t see a chance of Smith playing enough to be much of a fantasy contributor. The Chiefs were giving carries to Clyde Edwards-Helaire of all people, and it’s certainly not because CEH is good. For what it’s worth, Smith has been an explosive player on the limited opportunities he’s been given.
Clyde Edwards-Helaire: 2 Carries, 5 Yards
I don’t expect to be jump-scared watching football, but I was honestly taken aback when I saw Clyde Edwards-Helaire check into the game. He promptly lost 2 yards on his first carry. He did have a 7-yard carry later on, though, so maybe we’re entering the Clydeaissance.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Rashee Rice: 7 Targets, 4 Receptions, 80 Yards | 2 Carries, 6 Yards, TD
Behold! Kansas City’s best goal-line back! The Chiefs have really designed their offensive game plan around Rashee Rice. One of his carries was on a play he lined up as a back. The other came in a wildcat formation near the end zone. It’s a nice little boost to his value when he’s already adding so much as a pass catcher.
This was Rice’s second game in a row getting wildcat carries, so it’s clear this is something the Chiefs plan on doing consistently. His most impressive play on the day came on fourth-and-17, when Rice caught a 29-yard pass to convert and keep the Chiefs competitive in the game.
Hollywood Brown: 4 Targets, 2 Receptions, 73 Yards
With the Chiefs at full strength among their receivers, Hollywood Brown was afforded more opportunities to be a deep threat. He converted on two of those plays, and while neither was a touchdown, it’s easy to imagine that being the case in the future. He nearly did so in this game, being marked down inside the 1-yard line near the end of the half.
Gone are the days of Brown’s 16 targets in Week 1, but he’s a much better fit for his current role.
Xavier Worthy: 7 Targets, 3 Receptions, 23 Yards
Similar to Brown, Xavier Worthy excelled in the role he had in this game, even if that role doesn’t come with the same fantasy upside as the one he had pre-Rice return. Worthy wasn’t particularly productive in this one, but he provided a nice threat that the defense needed to account for.
Travis Kelce: 5 Targets, 4 Receptions, 66 Yards
I also questioned how much Travis Kelce had left in the tank earlier in the year, but frankly, I thought he looked pretty good in this game. This is no longer prime Kelce, but he certainly looked a tick faster than he did earlier in the year, and he made some plays downfield, which has been a trend for him in recent weeks. I wouldn’t say Kelce’s all the way back, but he also didn’t look decrepit out there.
JuJu Smith-Schuster: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 2 Yards
Tyquan Thornton: 1 Target, 0 Receptions
Noah Gray: 1 Target, 0 Receptions
Buffalo Bills
Quarterback
Josh Allen: 23/26 273 Yards, TD | 6 Carries, 19 Yards, 2 TDs
Josh Allen was spectacular Sunday. What stood out most was his pocket presence and maneuverability. He largely stayed in the pocket, using only subtle moves to extend plays. Kansas City did throw out a couple of looks that confused him on the penultimate drive, resulting in back-to-back sacks, but otherwise, Allen was poised.
Aside from that, it was more of the same from Allen. Impressive throws, excellent accuracy, a pair of tush push touchdowns, typical Allen things.
Running Back
James Cook: 27 Carries, 114 Yards | 1 Target, 1 Reception, 11 Yards
The Bills have been a run-heavy team, and that was once again the case Sunday. It was unfortunate that James Cook was not the ballcarrier on any of the three Buffalo rushing scores, but it was difficult not to be impressed with him. Cook showed tremendous vision and burst throughout the game, and aside from Dalton Kincaid, was the Bills’ most consistent skill player Sunday.
Ty Johnson: 2 Carries, 8 Yards, TD | 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 12 Yards
Ty Johnson scored a TD on a red-zone carry. This was the result of the Bills operating in a no-huddle offense in an effort to keep the Chiefs in small personnel, leaving Cook unable to sub in. This isn’t a long-term concern. A similar sequence occurred later, but with Cook remaining on the field. Cook was down inside the 1, leading to an Allen tush push.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Khalil Shakir: 8 Targets, 7 Receptions, 43 Yards
Khalil Shakir was the only Bills wideout with more than two receptions in this game. He’s more of the dependable possession receiver variety than a true playmaker. He did make a critical 20-yard catch to set up the final scoring drive for the Bills, but had just 23 yards aside from that play.
I know that the Bills have stylistically decided that they won’t invest in WRs, but I think it would be nice to have a little more at the position. It did appear that Allen had nowhere to go with the ball on a couple of occasions.
Elijah Moore: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 28 Yards
Elijah Moore played sparingly, but made a highlight-reel, contested catch in the time he did play. He showed promise early in his career, so with the Bills somewhat lacking for playmakers, it’s interesting that he stepped up in this game.
Dalton Kincaid: 6 Targets, 6 Receptions, 101 Yards, TD
An outstanding outing for Dalton Kincaid, who was Allen’s most reliable target. He did a great job of finding soft spots in zone coverage and making plays after the catch. Kincaid directly scored one long touchdown and set up the second Buffalo score with a 47-yard reception to put the Bills inside the 10-yard line.
He isn’t playing as much as you’d hope, but he’s a playmaker on a great offense, at the TE position, that’s worth paying attention to.
Keon Coleman: 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 17 Yards
Tyrell Shavers: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 7 Yards
Curtis Samuel: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 6 Yards
Dawson Knox: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 30 Yards
Jackson Hawes: 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 18 Yards