KC Chiefs Cognizant of Challenges Presented by Josh Allen and Bills

The history between Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen seems to grow more storied every year, and this weekend's matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills has another chapter waiting to be written this weekend.

Ahead of Week 14's Sunday outing, Kansas City isn't taking Allen lightly. The team is well aware of the challenges he brings when he steps out on the football field. They've learned firsthand what he's capable of.

In three career regular-season games against the Chiefs dating back to the 2020 season, Allen's numbers are sparkling. Not only does he have a 2-1 record in those contests, but he's thrown for 766 yards with eight touchdowns and just one interception. He boasts a 110.8 passer rating and has been sacked just once. On the ground, he's added another 133 yards and a score. While his 0-2 playoff record versus Kansas City is a winless 0-2, Allen remained successful in those games (six touchdowns and one interception with a 104.8 passer rating).

Allen is widely regarded as one of the best true dual-threat quarterbacks in the NFL, possessing a howitzer of an arm and some tremendous athleticism. That, combined with his fearless mentality, makes him hard to contain in the pocket and even more difficult to tackle in the open field. Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo spoke about Allen this week, praising Buffalo's star signal-caller for what he forces opposing defenses to account for.

“He’s hard to bring down," Spagnuolo said. "He’s such a big dude. I can’t find too many clips on there where he slides. He turns into a fullback really. I think he’s an elite competitor. Every time we go against him – even when you hear him on the sideline, to me that elevates him. The threat that he has being a pocket passer and throwing it as a strong-arm quarterback and getting out of the pocket extending the down – he’s always looking downfield. I know I put a PowerPoint up yesterday – you can check this – but scrambling then throwing it, how many passing yards, I think it was over 400, it was like 483 or something. I think it’s the best in the league, so that speaks volumes to what you’re talking about and he can tuck and run it too.”

In 12 games this season, despite throwing more interceptions than only Sam Howell of the Washington Commanders, Allen remains one of the NFL's best quarterbacks. The former Wyoming standout enters Sunday's game ranking third in EPA per play and second in success rate. Additionally, he's tied for second in passing touchdowns, third in QBR and has the lowest sack percentage among all qualified field generals in 2023. Yes, just a bit better than Mahomes. Even amid his turnover struggles and carless play at times, Allen has plenty of redeeming qualities. Buffalo is happy to take the good with the bad.

It's been a roller coaster of a season for the Bills, and one filled with a ton of near misses and disappointment. The team fired offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey following a Week 10 loss to the Denver Broncos, only to go 1-1 in games since then under Joe Brady. In those two contests, though, Buffalo posted yardage totals of 393 and 505. The Bills have the sixth-best offense in that span by EPA standards. Kansas City defensive tackle Chris Jones took notice of Week 12's performance in a close loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, indicating that the outcome didn't change his outlook on the Bills one bit.

“They’re a good team," Jones said. "We have to prepare, watch a little more film to be able to stop their explosive offense. I think they played 97 plays last week against a very, very good Philadelphia Eagles defense, so they’re able to put up a lot of points. Running the ball, they had I think 177 rushing yards or Josh Allen throwing the ball – I think he threw the ball 53 times last week, so they were able to put up points. We have to watch a little more film and see how we can stop him."

Now 6-6 on the year and coming off a bye week, it's put up or shut up time for Buffalo. This week's game in Kansas City is a tough one, and Sean McDermott's team still has to face the Dallas Cowboys and Miami Dolphins down the stretch. Making the playoffs won't be easy and if things unfold poorly on Sunday, it could doom their postseason chances. The Chiefs recognize how serious the magnitude of this showdown is for the other side, as Allen and company project to bring their A-game. If that ends up happening, however, the home club should be ready for it.

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