Arrowhead Pride
Chiefs vs. Bills score, analysis: Josh Allen outduels Patrick Mahomes | CBS Sports
Josh Allen not phased by Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s blitz schemes
Kansas City blitzed Allen on 30% of his dropbacks, per TruMedia, in Week 9, tied for the 11th-highest rate in the NFL. However, Allen thrived when Spags turned up the heat: he completed all eight of his throws against the blitz on Sunday for 61 yards, 7.6 yards per pass attempt. Early in his career, Allen could be temporarily thrown off course by Spagnuolo’s complex blitz schemes, but in his eighth NFL season, he knows exactly what to do when the pressure is on.
NFL Week 9 takeaways: What We Learned from Sunday’s 12 games | NFLcom
Next Gen Stats Insight for Chiefs-Bills (via NFL Pro): Patrick Mahomes’ 40-yard pass to Hollywood Brown down to the Buffalo 1-yard line traveled an air distance of 47.5 yards. The Bills held the Chiefs to a field goal.
NFL Research: Josh Allen has 47 career games with one or more passing TDs and one or more rushing TDs, which is the most in NFL history.
Patrick Mahomes struggles as Bills snap Chiefs’ winning streak: Takeaways | The Athletic
More travels ahead?
Though the Chiefs have played excellently over the past month, their 5-4 record could make a future playoff path difficult.
Kansas City already trailed the Denver Broncos in the AFC West coming into the week, and it now finds itself two games back. The Chiefs have a much tougher schedule ahead than the Bills (6-2), so even catching them in the AFC standings without the head-to-head tiebreaker might be a long shot.
The bottom line: Kansas City might be the NFL’s best team (sportsbooks think so at this point), but four early losses mean a potential path back to the Super Bowl is looking more likely to be a road that mostly doesn’t go through Arrowhead Stadium. — Newell
NFL Week 9 Recap: Immediate fantasy football takeaways from Sunday’s games | PFF
Chiefs adjust without Isiah Pacheco: The Chiefs’ lead running back didn’t practice all week due to a knee injury.
Pacheco had played just over 50% of the Chiefs’ offensive snaps this season, including being the primary running back on early downs. Kareem Hunt played 39% of the offensive snaps as the primary back in short-yardage and third-down situations. Seventh-round rookie Brashard Smith played 17% the offensive of snaps, often lined up as a receiver or in two-back sets.
2025 NFL Week 9 Winners and Losers and Top Takeaways | Bleacher Report
Chiefs Takeaway: Kansas City Might Need to Panic Now
It would be silly to write off Kansas City at 5-4, and an Andy Reid-coached team probably isn’t going to outright panic. However, this loss leaves the Chiefs with no room for error.
The 6-3 Chargers and 7-2 Broncos...
