Four Takeaways From the Chiefs' 24-20 Loss to the Bills
The Kansas City Chiefs' Week 6 outing against the Buffalo Bills was expected to be one of the best games of the 2022 season and while things got off to an unexpectedly slow start, both teams ended up waking up in time to provide some highly-competitive football.
With both Kansas City and Buffalo being tied after quarters one, two and three, that set the stage for a fourth quarter that could have implications on final seeding in the AFC once the regular season is over. With over a minute left to score and a four-point deficit staring him in the face, quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw an interception early in the Chiefs' final drive to give Buffalo a 24-20 win.
Here are four takeaways from Week 6's game.
1. The first half went just as no one expected
If you were told before Sunday's game that the Chiefs and Bills would combine for 28 first downs and just under 500 total net yards in the first half, would you expect to see a 10-10 score at the halftime break? Once both teams took their opening possessions, drove into the opposing club's red zone and turned the football over, it was apparent that this game would be anything but normal. Neither high-flying offense truly found its footing despite gaining plenty of yards, and neither defense looked flat-out dominant despite coming up with big plays as needed. Poor execution and lackluster situational football contributed to an opening half to forget, and one that left "over" bettors shaking in their boots. Some of that offensive stagnation from Kansas City bled into the second half for stints as well.
2. JuJu Smith-Schuster has finally arrived
All season long, the Chiefs have been rotating through pass-catchers having "their" game. Tight end Travis Kelce has been the common winner of that crown, with Marquez Valdes-Scantling also having his time to shine as of late. The first wide receiver to reach the 100-yard mark in a game, however, was JuJu Smith-Schuster. Smith-Schuster's big day included his first receiving touchdown of the season and multiple plays where he extended the action by breaking tackles and using his yards-after-catch ability to his advantage. Sunday's version of the veteran receiver was the version Kansas City signed during the offseason and if he can have more games like that moving forward, it will make the Chiefs that much more dangerous on offense.
3. Kansas City needs to get to full strength on defense
The Chiefs came into Sunday afternoon's game without their most athletic linebacker and two cornerbacks who have garnered starter-level reps this season. Against one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL, that showed. The Chiefs' linebacker corps looked slow against Buffalo despite making some good plays in the backfield and in the secondary, rookie Joshua Williams had a rough day. Kansas City had some tough matchups against great talents and a lack of pressure with just four led to defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo dialing up plenty of blitzes but nonetheless, the team misses the trio of Willie Gay Jr., Trent McDuffie and Rashad Fenton. A valiant effort was about all one could ask for in Week 6 although long-term, having a full complement of defensive pieces will come in handy.
4. These two teams should see each other again soon
In the five weeks leading up to this one, Kansas City and Buffalo were widely viewed as the two best teams in the AFC. While they didn't deliver on quite the level that most expected to start, it's hard to disagree with that sentiment by too much after seeing them square off yet again. Things can change over the next few months and upsets in the playoffs can happen, but a for-the-ages postseason matchup between these two teams seems destined barring any seeding complications. The conference's top dogs reminded the football world of why they have those titles on Sunday, and it likely won't be the last time they do so in the 2022-23 campaign. Josh Allen and Mahomes make for must-see TV.
Honorable mention: A primarily unrelated note, but one that seemed appropriate to include: Kansas City's right tackle play was borderline atrocious. Andrew Wylie had been a relatively competent right tackle with all things considered before this game but against Von Miller, he looked lost on multiple occasions. One end of the two-sided sword will argue that Wylie won't face players of Miller's caliber every week, but the other end will point to the playoffs and great opponents as reasons to be concerned. Neither of the Chiefs' tackles has been great in 2022, but Wylie's struggles against Miller will be worth monitoring for similar situations in games to come.
