Joe@Buffalowins (6-4) The Bills begin a stretch against some very average QBs. Alex Smith is just a tier above average. After that, it becomes a bunch of retread QBs that stand in the way for the Bills to make the playoffs. The Chiefs are not a pushover. They made the playoffs 2 seasons ago and are going to be the team IMO who will battle the Bills for the 6th spot. The Chiefs and Bills pretty much run the same offense it would seem. Both teams are quite conservative when it comes to passing the football while allowing the running game to dictate their offense. Smith and Tyrod aren’t gunslingers. In fact, their numbers are kind of the same:
- Tyrod Taylor- 11TDs/4INTs/67%comp/QB Rating 100.9
- Alex Smith-10TDs/3INTs/63.9%/QB Rating 93.4
Chiefs are 22nd and the Bills are 23rd in total offense yardage. However, both teams are in the top 10 in scoring, so, go figure. While the Chiefs started off the season slow, its not like they lost to a bunch of tomato cans. They lost to Green Bay, Cincinnati, and Minnesota. If you remember, they should have won that TNF game against the Chiefs. The Chiefs seem to have issues protecting Smith as he’s been sacked 33 times this year which is the 2nd most in the NFL. The number is more alarming when you consider Smith has only the 18th most pass attempts. Even with Charles out of the lineup, the Chiefs have been stellar rushing the football this season as they are averaging 4.5YPC and have rushed for 138, 206, 106 and 153 yards in their last 4 games.
Two guys the Bills will have to contain in the passing game are Jeremy Maclin and Travis Klece. Both players have combined for 98 catches/1,232 yards/5TDs. They are basically 50% of the Chiefs passing game. On defense, the Chiefs are ranked 7th and have 29 sacks on the season (8th best). Justin Houston and Tamba Hali are leading the way as usual when it comes to pressure. The Chiefs have the 2nd most INTs in the league and have allowed QBs to complete just 57% of their passes (3rd best in the NFL) The Chiefs have also been solid in their rush defense as they have only allowed 3.8 YPC on the season.
I don’t like this match-up for the Bills. I hate playing in KC and the Chiefs have been a thorn in the Bills side the last two years with the Jeff Tuel INT Return for a TD game and the Bryce Brown fumble game. I wanna say karma comes back to haunt the Chiefs since we probably should have beaten them the last 2 years. However, I just think KC is the better team. Chiefs win, 23-17.
Chris@2ITB_Buffalo: We’re still doing this? I thought the season ended when that no-good quarterback didn’t win in Foxboro. This week probably tells the story about the rest of the run. I’m sure the Bills could conceivably recover from a loss to the Chiefs and still push for a Wild Card spot, but this week and next are likely going to hold the keys to Buffalo’s postseason fate. Much like the Jets and Miami showdowns earlier this month were so vital to keeping the season afloat. KC has been a strange case study as they, like most of the AFC, have been wholly average throughout the year. They lost their key offensive weapon and fell to 1-4 at one point. But they’ve rattled off four-straight and their defense has been firing on all cylinders. I like the Bills this week simply because of how impressive the defensive effort against New England was. If Rex Ryan is able to keep the scheme in order that well again the Bills ought to have a very good chance to win this game. Of course, Tyrod’s shoulder will be a question mark and the Bills O vs. the KC D will be an entirely different battle. But I think the Bills get the job done this week and take control of their playoff destiny heading into next week’s date with the Texans. Bills win, 142-5
Scott Michalak (@ScottyMCSS) (8-2) Time to reap the benefits of a soft opponent on the schedule. KC takes full advantage, and continues its surge towards the playoffs. We all cry into our turkey sammiches. KC 20, Bills 16.
Michael Necci (@manecci) Biggest Buffalo Bills game of the season. If they lose here they’re not totally out of it, but the fat lady will be warming up off stage. I don’t care about Jeff Tuel, I don’t care about Doug Marrone and punting on 4th down, all I know is that The Bills can hang with this team. This isn’t 1992 Arrowhead. The Chiefs are good, they’re on a winning streak, but they are beatable. THIS IS AN ABSOLUTE MUST WIN DAMMIT AND THEY BETTER FREAKING WIN BECAUSE I CAN NOT TAKE ANOTHER YEAR OF NO PLAYOFFS. Bills 20 Chiefs 17 . Lastly, there is so much good college football on this weekend that if you’re not watching seek help. Happy Thanksgiving.
Mike McKenzie Buffalo (+5) and Kansas City: This is a true must win. These teams are tied for the last wild card spot. If you look at KC’s remaining schedule, they at most lose once, if not go undefeated after us as they play every crap team in the NFL. It is 100% an elimination game for Buffalo. If they lose, they are done. They have to go 2-0 the next 2 weeks, or it’s going to be “Wait until next year” again. Neither of these teams own an impressive win. Buffalo’s best win seems to be the Jets, While KC has wins over Pittsburgh and Denver. A closer look reveals this as a Big Ben injury game, and the game it all fell apart for Manning. Both teams play D pretty well, and are limited on O due to the QB position. I think Buffalo has more weapons on O, but I am worried that the KC front 7 can get past our OL, particularly Henderson. I was extremely impressed by our D Monday night. A competent O probably would’ve won that game. I’m very torn here, this is probably a pick em game so I would most certainly take the Bills and 5 points. The think that tips this low scoring game in favor of KC to me as I’m just not sure about Tyrod being 100%. If EJ plays, we have no chance. If Tyrod plays as he did Monday night, I don’t like our chances either. In a low scoring game, I like KC 20-17.
Mike Migliore (@mmigliore) Record: 5-5- Tyrod Taylor did not play well at all on Monday night. In fact, you can argue the throws he missed were the reason the Bills lost by 7. Taylor’s played well throughout the season, but he’s had enough sub-par performances to leave some fans wondering about his future with the team. Let me just say that it’s probably unfair to judge him based on how he’s fared in two games against Tom Brady. That’s not fair to any quarterback. Bills fans are constantly clamoring for a “franchise quarterback” though, and Brady is the standard for “franchise quarterback.” Taylor is not that, but he’s pretty good, Probably the best we’ve seen for the Bills at the position since September and October 2002 Drew Bledsoe. So you should feel pretty comfortable about him being the starting quarterback for the rest of this season and the start of next season. Tyrod is only signed for one more year, though, and nothing about his play screams “long-term extension!” so I’m all for the Bills looking at quarterbacks in the first or second round in April. As for this upcoming Sunday, the Bills will probably lose because that’s what they do in important games in November or December. Unless Andy Reid has one of his famous clock and game management screwups, which is certainly possible, the Bills will be looking at 5-6. Prediction: Chiefs 17, Bills 13
Rich (@RDotDeuce 6-3): The Chiefs are what most Alex Smith run teams are – heavy on short passes and run game and light on deep shots and turnovers. In order to take care of them, the Bills are going to have to bring the defense that showed up to Monday Night Football (without the refs to boot) and some of the offense that showed up vs the Dolphins. The last two games have been slogs in which they got what they could and that’s given them a 1-1 record. If the Bills are serious about the playoffs, beating the Chiefs has to happen. If they want to have a feel-good record and brag about wins that meant nothing, because they were without any pressure (see Packers or Pats last year) be my guest, but I won’t be throwing any laurels their way. If Shady and Karlos can get the run game going, they’ll be able to take the pressure off of a beat up Tyrod and allow him to have easier throws down the field. I’m calling this game 24-20 Bills.
Brett Ludwiczak – @BLeez17 – 6-4- I’m not thrilled that Tyrod Taylor and a bunch of defensive players come into this game banged up, but I think they still have enough to take down Kansas City. Alex Smith doesn’t scare me and even though I know Arrowhead is a tough place to play, I think the Bills can win here. It’s simple, win the next two weeks and you have a good shot at making the playoffs. Buffalo 23 Kansas City 14
Sean – @SeanCorleone (7-3)- The loss to the Patriots was certainly a disappointment, but none of us expected a win there anyway, right? I came away from that game though feeling much more confident about this defensive unit going forward. It seems like they are starting to figure out what works best for them, and the game plan they rolled out against Tom Brady was very good. Unfortunately, the offense did not have a great night. This week’s game against the Chiefs is humongous. A loss doesn’t end things for the Bills mathematically as there are scenarios that exist where the Bills can make the playoffs at 9-7, or even 8-8 while losing to KC, but why make it harder on yourself? Just win this game. This will be the Bills’ 3rd straight game on the road (2nd in last 3 weeks on short rest) and I’m hoping they clean things up offensively. They absolutely NEED to come out of this game with a win before they head back home for another crucial game against the Texans. Hopefully Tyrod will be ok to play, because the Chiefs have a very good defense and the Bills need Tyrod to be active an healthy enough to make plays. KC is always a tough place to play, and the Chiefs have been a thorn in our side the last two years in crucial match-ups. I have a bad feeling about this game, especially if Tyrod isn’t good to go, but despite those feelings I’m picking the Bills. They know how big this game is, and they definitely want to get this taste out of their mouths. I think they’re ready for a win like this. Final score, Bills 23 Chiefs 21
Luke Wachob (6-4) @lukewachob – This is the eighth consecutive season featuring a meeting of the Bills and Chiefs, and it’s not because they keep winning their divisions. These mediocre matchups have been hard to predict and harder to swallow. Last year, the Bills were 5-3 and had a bye week before hosting KC, but lost 13-17 and put permanent damage into their playoff hopes. 2013 saw a 13-23 loss at the Ralph, but the Bills won in blowouts in 2012 and 2011. Recent history is out the window with Rex Ryan and Tyrod Taylor at the helm, but Bills fans will be on edge nonetheless. Injuries and a short week make this a tough one for Buffalo, but if the defense can play like it did against Brady, Alex Smith shouldn’t be going home with a W. Bills 20-13.
Brad Gelber (6-4) @BradleyGelber – No moral victories, but the Bills kept the Pats game much closer than I expected. The worst part of the loss would have been in Tyrod had to miss any amount of time, but it looks like he’ll be a go for Sunday. I can totally see this being a letdown game for the Bills coming off of such a highly anticipated showdown with the Pats. I think it’ll be ugly and fairly low scoring, but luckily this is Alex Smith not Tom Brady. Bills 20-17.
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