The Starting 11: Chiefs-Bills Preview Offers Fascinating Storylines

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Welcome to trade-deadline week in the NFL, the perfect time to revisit one of the most significant trades in recent memory.

It actually happened on Night 1 of the 2017 draft, and it changed two franchises forever. Call it one of the best win-win trades in league history.

Trusting his co-director of player personnel Brett Veach, then-Chiefs GM John Dorsey rocketed up to No. 10 in the first round to take Patrick Mahomes. Kansas City consummated the trade with Brandon Beane, in his first season as Bills general manager.

Beane parlayed the haul the Chiefs gave him into several trades, one that allowed him to move up to No. 7 in 2018 and draft Josh Allen.

And since that 2018 trade, Mahomes (262) and Allen (207) rank 1-2 among NFL quarterbacks in touchdown passes. Over that seven-year stretch, they’ve combined for three MVPs, nine Pro Bowl selections and five All-Pro seasons.

josh allen, patrick mahome — Dec 10, 2023; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) talks with Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) after a game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

And they meet for a 10th time on Sunday (3:25 p.m. CT, CBS/KCTV, Channel 5, 96.5 The Fan) when the Chiefs (5-3) visit the Bills (5-2).

Allen is 4-1 against Mahomes in the regular season, including four consecutive wins. Mahomes is 4-0 against Allen in the postseason. Mahomes owns a 5-4 overall advantage.

patrick mahome — Jan 26, 2025; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) reacts on stage after the AFC Championship game against the Buffalo Bills at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Here’s the Starting 11 for the Chiefs-Bills game in Week 9…

1-In a division of their own

Including postseason, Kansas City meets Buffalo for a 10th time since the beginning of 2020. It’s the sixth consecutive year the league’s scheduling matrix has paired the teams in a regular-season showdown.

The Chiefs, in the market for a new stadium or significant renovation, have gotten their own time-capsule look at the Bills’ new Highmark Stadium adjacent to the old facility. That’s because they’re visiting Buffalo for a fourth straight year.

According to Josh Dubow, no other non-division NFL teams have met more than six times since that memorable 2020 campaign.

The Bills and Chiefs will play Sunday for the 10th time (playoffs included) since the start of the 2020 season. No other non-division matchups have happened more than 6 times in that span
— Josh Dubow (@JoshDubowAP) October 29, 2025

2-Number of the Week (9)

The Chiefs have fumbled nine times this season – and recovered all nine. Kansas City is the NFL’s only team without a lost fumble.

patrick mahomes aidan hutchinso — Detroit Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson (97) knocks the ball out of the hands of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) during the first half at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri on Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

3-Kelce setting blistering pace

Travis Kelce leads the team with 474 receiving yards, on pace for his first 1,000-yard season since 2022. His 12.8 yards per reception are his most in five years.

And while two of Patrick Mahomes’ four interceptions have bounced off Kelce’s hands, it’s important to note that the tight end is catching 77.1 percent of his targets – the highest mark of the future Hall of Famer’s career.

Travis Kelce already has four catches of 25-plus yards through eight games. Last year, he had only three during the entire regular season.
— Zak Gilbert (@zaksgilbert) October 28, 2025

4-Spotlight – individual matchup

Chiefs safety Jaden Hicks against Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid. Both players were born and raised in Las Vegas, Nev. In Kincaid’s only season of high-school football, his senior year at Faith Lutheran in Summerlin, Nev., Hicks and his Bishop Gorman program ended Kincaid’s season in a regional playoff.

Kincaid, however, did catch a 61-yard touchdown for his team’s only points in a 51-6 loss. It was the first points allowed by Gorman’s defense in 34 quarters.

5-Spotlight – team matchup

Allen, James Cook and the Bills’ offense against Steve Spagnuolo’s defense. Buffalo ranks fourth in the league with 29.6 points per game. Kansas City’s defense is second in the NFL, averaging 16.4 points allowed.

Both clubs enter the week with a top-five offense (Buffalo is third, 382.9 yards per game; Kansas City is fifth, 378.3).

6-Streak speak

Mahomes and Matthew Stafford are tied for the league lead with 17 touchdown passes, but Mahomes is on a wicked streak. He’s thrown for at least three TDs in three straight games. He’s extended such a streak to four games on only two occasions over his career, in 2018 and 2021.

Mahomes enters Sunday with 46 career games of at least three touchdown passes. With one more, he’ll and eclipse Dan Marino (46) for the most such games ever by a player in his first nine seasons.

7-Did you know?

One of the reasons the Chiefs have been so successful on defense this season is incredibly simple. They tackle. According to ProFootballReference.com, Kansas City’s missed-tackle percentage (7.3 percent) is fifth-lowest in the NFL.

8-Under-the-radar storyline

Everybody gotta eat, indeed. In fact, the Chiefs have so many mouths to feed that they’re one of two NFL teams this season without a 100-yard rusher or 100-yard receiver. According to Josh Dubow, Kansas City and Arizona are those two teams.

rashee ric — Oct 27, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice (4) celebrates after a play against the Washington Commanders during the second quarter of the game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

9-Trend time

Including postseason, the Chiefs have not allowed a 100-yard rusher in 27 straight games (Lamar Jackson in the 2024 opener), the league’s longest active streak. The last time a running back topped 100 on Kansas City was 34 games ago, the Raiders’ Zamir White on Christmas Day 2023.

10-Rookie Road

Jeffrey Bassa, the Chiefs’ fifth-round selection in April’s draft, had an early career-best three scrimmage tackles in Monday’s win. He also forced a fourth-quarter fumble on a Marcus Mariota scramble.

11-And last but not least

Last week at Carolina, Allen posted his 46th career game with both a touchdown pass and rushing touchdown, surpassing Cam Newton (45) for the most such games in NFL annals. The reigning MVP also won an 81st regular-season start, surpassing Peyton Manning (80 wins) and Ben Roethlisberger (80) for the fourth-most regular-season victories by a quarterback in his first eight years.

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