(Photo: Marca.com)
AFC Game Of The Week
Kansas City Chiefs at Buffalo Bills
Chiefs: For just the third time in franchise history, they are 9-0 with the previous years being in 2003 and 2013. This is the cream of the crop in the NFL and since 2018, they have been one of the elite teams in the National Football League. Back in the mid to late 2000s, they would either be an average team or they’d have a great season sprinkled in there at times, but you never heard anything about it because they were sandwiched in between the Peyton Manning and Tom Brady era. It was either those Patriots or Colts and Broncos fighting for one of the top two spots in the AFC. Now, look at them. They are exactly what those teams are I mentioned. I’ve seen my share of teams off to an undefeated start and I will just come right out and say this. There have been at least three games they should’ve lost, but they didn’t at the end of the day which is the most important thing. The Bengals game was a possible loss if it weren’t for the Defensive Pass Interference, the Falcons played them tough and just last week against the Broncos, they needed a blocked field goal to keep the zero in the loss column. No, it hasn’t looked the best and at times, it hasn’t necessarily been the prettiest looking effort, but the great teams always find ways to win and that is exactly what they have done. Dating back to last season, the Chiefs have won 15 games in a row. Nowadays, they’ve been productive on the defensive side of the ball which I can appreciate because they always struggled on defense. Now, they can close games out as I mentioned last week. They just know when to hit that switch when it matters the most. In other words, they aren’t always great, but they’re great when they need to be. Today, they make their way to Orchard Park for a huge game.
Bills: All Summer, I pleaded my case for them. There were times when I saw the “experts” say this is as wide open as the AFC East has been in years with the Miami Dolphins making the playoffs last season and would be expected to compete once again and of course, the New York Jets with the return of Aaron Rodgers after he missed all of the 2023 season with the torn Achilles. The New England Patriots play tough for Jerod Mayo, but they aren’t quite there yet. Why would you go against the team that has won this division each year since 2020? Until further notice, this is their division to lose at this point. Yes, they did lose two key pieces in Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis in the off-season, but the reason why I picked the Buffalo Bills to win this division is because of one guy and that’s Josh Allen who has played at an MVP level. He was my favorite to win the award up until last week when he turned the ball over two more times. There was one point during this season where he had zero interceptions which told me he learned from last season after leading the league in interceptions in 2023. I called Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts a trap game of some sort because Indy plays teams tough, but they just struggle to close games out. The Buffalo defense was superb in their performance intercepting Joe Flacco three times. Do you want to know how good they’ve been this year as a football team? Miami, New England, and New York all have nine total wins combined whereas the Bills have eight by themselves. All their success in the regular season is nice and all, but when will this success translate into some win when it matters the most which is in the playoffs? This afternoon, they welcome their kryptonite for a huge AFC showdown.
Chiefs X-Factor: Nick Bolton– He doesn’t get enough credit. For as much as I’ve watched Nick’s highlights, you see him making the impact plays consistently whether it’s in the backfield or open space over and over again. Nick has incredible instincts, toughness, and physicality which has allowed him to be as productive as he’s been. Against the run, he’s a tackling machine and moves from sideline to sideline. Nick doesn’t have to rush the passer unless Steve Spagnuolo is calling a blitz. Today, he will be the spy and account for Josh Allen. Watch him mirror his every move.
Bills X-Factor: Khalil Shakir– Keon Coleman is expected to miss this game and Amari Cooper has been sidelined with a wrist injury and has only played in one game since being traded to Buffalo. Even before Amari’s acquisition, Khalil was emerging as Josh’s top target this year. I remember when he was injured during the Houston game and look how much the Quarterback missed him. It’s something about that number one option for the Quarterback. I can see Khalil causing problems for this Chiefs secondary, especially if they get him matched up with some of the third and fourth-string guys.
Final Thoughts: I have been fortunate enough to preview every single matchup between these two teams since 2020 from the first meeting between Mahomes and Allen, the 2020 AFC Championship, the epic 2022 divisional round to their most recent meeting in the playoffs in January earlier this year. Josh has owned the regular season matchups while Patrick has dominated the postseason showdowns. This quarterback matchup mirrors Peyton and Brady very much. These matchups are always close and come down to the fourth quarter which I’m expecting here again. As I mentioned above, the Chiefs have won 15 in a row with 12 of those victories being one-score games. If they can start early, withhold the punch Buffalo will look to throw early on and Mahomes gets into his rhythm early on, it could be a long day for the Bills. Also, keeping Allen in the pocket is key, don’t let him extend plays or make much of anything happen with his feet. On the Buffalo side, attack the Chiefs’ outside tackles on the offensive line which is a weakness for them, next, quick passes on the outside to Shakir which will allow him to move with the ball in space! He’s been as sure-handed as they’ve come this year and most importantly, the red zone on both sides of the football. On defense, show up and force them to kick field goals and on offense in the red zone, don’t leave points on the table. You will NOT beat Kansas City kicking field goals. This will come down to who has the football last. I’m picking the Bills to hand the Chiefs their first loss of the year.
Prediction: Bills 31, Chiefs 24
