Bills prepares for the final showdown against rival Chiefs

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Chiefs week is finally here, excuse the Buffalo Bills and their fanbase to climb aboard the bandwagon.

Juicy as Sunday’s pitting Patrick Mahomes and the undefeated Chiefs (9-0). Josh Allen and the runaway AFC East-leading Bills (8-2) emerge, a sober perspective based on recent history is in order.

As successful as the Bills have been in winning three straight regular-season meetings in what has become an annual matchup between AFC contenders, what’s striking is that Buffalo remains empty in the games that really matter.

Whether at home or at Arrowhead since 2020, Buffalo is 0-3 in its past three playoff meetings against Kansas City.

That includes a 27-24 loss in the divisional playoff round at home in January, in which the teams traded leads five times, and was sealed when Buffalo’s Tyler Bass missed a 44-yard attempt wide right with 1:43 left.

And there’s no need to bring up Buffalo’s 42-36 overtime divisional round loss three years ago.

To this day, Bills coach Sean McDermott refuses to answer questions about whether there was a communication breakdown when Bass kicked into the end zone instead of keeping the ball in play after Buffalo took the lead. The outing was dubbed “13 Seconds,” indicating how much time was left in regulation for the Chiefs to drive 44 yards in two plays and set up Harrison Butker‘s 49-yard field goal.

On Sunday, the seasons are not at stake, as two teams are already in the driver’s seat and want to qualify for the play-offs.

But there are enough subplots to captivate a national TV audience.

For Buffalo, the performance marks a chance to end the Chiefs’ bid for a perfect season while closing the gap in the race for the AFC’s best player heading into the playoffs.

Just as importantly, the Bills are in a position to validate themselves as conference contenders in a season in which they have improved their record against opponents who have gone a combined 25-49, including two wins against Miami (2-6) , which plays on Monday. night. Buffalo’s two losses are against Baltimore (7-3) and Houston (6-4).

Schedule aside, the Bills have already proven a lot in what was supposed to be a down year for the four-time defending division champions after an offseason of salary cap-forced realignment. Despite the retirement of six of its eight captains, Buffalo has won eight of its first 10 games for the eighth time in franchise history and for the first time since 1993.

The Bills are winning games as a group and getting contributions from every phase at critical times, and that was evident again in Sunday’s 30-20 win in Indianapolis.

It was the defense’s turn to step up in an outing that saw Allen throw a season-high two interceptions and face an injury-depleted offense missing receivers. Amari Kuiper and Keon Coleman. Buffalo forced a season-high four turnovers at cornerback Taron Johnson opening the scoring with a pick-6.

“Just trying to run our offense the best we can — I don’t feel like I did that today,” Allen said. “I wish I had a few throws back, especially early on, but we’ll be conceding 8-2.”

Allen’s thrown four interceptions in his past three outings after starting the season with just two lost fumbles in his first seven games. Slow starts remain a problem. Buffalo is 4-0 when scoring a touchdown on its opening drive, but 4-2 when held to three points or less in the first quarter.

On defense, the Bills applied pressure from the opening snap to disrupt Joe Flacco in the pocket. The same approach won’t work against Mahomes, who is much more elusive than Flacco and oversees a balanced Chiefs offense.

McDermott maintained his one-game-at-a-time approach and left it to others to build the hype heading into this week.

“I don’t pay too much attention to it, but Derek gives me a heads-up every now and then,” McDermott said, referring to Bills communications chief Derek Boyko about what’s being reported.

When asked if he reads anything, McDermott laughed and said, “I do that in the offseason.”

What works

Create turnover. Buffalo’s 19 takeaways (11 interceptions, eight fumbles) rank second in the NFL entering Monday, and the team has forced at least one in all 10 games this season.

What needs help

Better starts. As of Monday, Buffalo ranks third in the NFL with an average of 29 points per outing, but the offense has combined to score 46 points in the first quarter.

Stock up

WR Mack Hollins filled the injury-depleted receiver void with four catches for 86 yards – the second most of his seven-year career.

Stock down

Returning Brandon Codrington. The rookie was saved by Alec Anderson jumping on the ball to recover his fumble on a kickoff after the Colts took a 13-10 lead in the second quarter.

Injuries

AT Dalton Kincaid did not return after hurting his knee.

Key numbers

11-10 — Allen’s record, including playoffs, when he committed two or more turnovers since 2019.

Next steps

Catch the Chiefs before they enter their bye week.

___

APNFL: