Buffalo Rumblings
Perhaps the overall records aren’t what we expected when we initially saw that the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs would meet in Week 9 of the 2025 NFL season. That said, the fact remains that this matchup is still among the biggest in the NFL this season.
Over the course of this decade, the Bills-Chiefs rivalry has produced some classic games. Buffalo has managed to find success against the Chiefs in the regular season, but in the playoffs, it’s been Kansas City that has been perfect.Will the pattern hold this year? The Chiefs and the Bills seem to be two teams heading in opposite directions of late, as the Chiefs are now 5-3 after an 0-2 start while Buffalo is 5-2 after a 4-0 start.
Both teams won in convincing fashion last week, as Kansas City downed the Marcus Mariota-led Washington Commanders 28-7, and the Bills trounced the Andy Dalton-led Carolina Panthers 40-9. Both teams are looking up in their respective divisional standings, as the Bills trail the New England Patriots in the AFC East and the Chiefs trail both the Denver Broncos and the Los Angeles Chargers in the AFC West.
Buffalo would benefit tremendously from a victory this weekend, as it would increase their playoff odds in a big way. In order to come out victorious, they’ll need their top players to perform to their standard. It’s impossible to narrow this list to just five players, but that’s the task, so feel free to share your key players for Buffalo in the comments below.
Here are our five Bills to watch this week.
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QB Josh Allen
This is a safe place, Bills fans, so we can be honest: Allen’s stats, while still fantastic (he’s completed 68% of his passes, thrown 12 touchdowns against four interceptions, and is averaging 223 passing yards and 37 rushing yards per game), don’t tell the whole story of what has been a rough couple of weeks for the reigning MVP.
Allen has looked indecisive, flustered, “off,” whatever you want to call it, and he’s been so as far back as the Bills’ victory over the New Orleans Saints. We can chalk it up to scheme, a hidden injury, a slump, or whatever else we’d like, but we know that the version of Allen that has to appear on Sunday in order for Buffalo to win is a version that we haven’t seen since the Bills beat the Miami Dolphins — or, if you’re of the mindset that Superhero Josh is the only way Buffalo beats Kansas City, since Week 1 against the Baltimore Ravens.
The Allen I want to see on Sunday is the one who goes through his progressions confidently, throws the ball quickly and crisply, and who takes what the defense gives him. He’s been there for stretches, but he hasn’t really been there for a whole game in a bit this season.
A Steve Spagnuolo defense usually isn’t a cure-all game for quarterbacking ills, but Allen has performed...
