Bills vs. Chiefs Halftime Update: 3 First Half Observations
At the midway points of one of the most anticipated games on the NFL docket, the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills have engaged in a defensive struggle that's a far cry from their bombastic AFC Divisional showdown from January.
Though Kansas City struck first on a Patrick Mahomes touchdown pass to JuJu Smith-Schuster, the Bills score through familiar means, namely a Gabriel Davis touchdown grab from Josh Allen, to build an apparent 10-7 halftime lead. Alas for the Bills, a minuscule amount of time ... this time 12 seconds ... came back to haunt them, as that was enough for Kansas City to mount an attempt for a long field goal, which Harrison Butker cashed in upon from 62 yards out to create a 10-10 tie.
From a Bills' perspective, what can we take away from the first half-hour off the clock?
Au Kaiir
Perhaps Kaiir Elam has finally earned a trip to Dairy Queen after the game. After giving himself an "F-minus" despite hauling in his first career interception last week against Pittsburgh, Elam helped shift momentum in Sunday's contest, tearing away a would-be Patrick Mahomes touchdown pass away from Mecole Hardman in the end zone. Elam being tough on himself is humorous when the team is winning, but there's no denying that teams will continue to pick on him throughout his rookie season. Elam has responded well to the challenge so far ... he's kept his men off the score sheet in the early going
Pressure Drop
Even with a win, the Bills and their supporters will likely receive no vacation from the timely taunts of "13 seconds," as detractors will likely wonder where this type of defense was during the Divisional playoff disaster. Nonetheless, the Bills are undoubtedly raising the pressure on Mahomes, even without the services of Houston-bound Jerry Hughes, who was responsible for half of Buffalo's four quarterback hits in January, also achieving two sacks of Mahomes in the process. The Bills have already matched that pressure tally and should only continue to raise the heat if they're going to stage a comeback. Shaq Lawson, responsible for the first official takedown (the other going to Von Miller), continues to prove his worth in the pass rush and could well become a dominant x-factor against Kansas City.
God Save the Quessenberry
The strong defensive effort has been, alas, countered by a struggling offense. The road is set to be only rockier in the second half: Spencer Brown was injured on a doubly futile fourth down, one that saw the Bills fail to cash in on a goal-to-go situation. Buffalo's starting right tackle is questionable to return. Until then, it's time for David Quessenberry to fulfill the faith the Bills placed upon him with a one-year deal to improve their blocking depth.
Stat Leaders
Bills (10)
PASSING: Josh Allen (13-of-23, 180 yards, 1 TD)
RUSHING: Devin Singletary (10 carries, 76 yards)
RECEIVING: Stefon Diggs (4 receptions, 79 yards)
Chiefs (7)
PASSING: Patrick Mahomes (12-of-22, 1 TD, 1 INT)
RUSHING: Clyde Edwards-Helaire (4 carries, 16 yards)
RECEIVING: JuJu Smith-Schuster (4 receptions, 72 yards, 1 TD)
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
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