ClutchPoints
The rivalry between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Buffalo Bills has been one of the best rivalries in all of sports during the 2020s, with the two AFC elites meeting multiple times in just about every season since Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen both emerged as two of the best quarterbacks in the NFL.
The Bills have gotten the better of the Chiefs their fair share of times during the regular season, but the playoffs have been another story. Kansas City has sent the Bills home in the postseason in four of the last five years, which is something that will certainly be on the minds of the Bills and their fans coming into this game.
Both the Bills and Chiefs have some flaws this season, but they are both still clearly among the best teams in the AFC and are on the short list of teams that can make a run at the Super Bowl this season. The Bills are coming into the renewal of this rivalry in Week 9 coming off of a very impressive 40-9 win over the Carolina Panthers, while the Chiefs have won five of their last six games and just blew out the Commanders on Monday Night Football.
Both sides of the ball will be critical in this game, but the Chiefs’ offense against the Bills’ defense features a pair of units who are starting to find their way a bit. However, it is Kansas City who should have a big advantage in this game for these reasons.
Unfortunately, any conversation about the Bills defense coming into this game has to start with the injury to Ed Oliver. The star defensive tackle in Buffalo is now on injured reserve due to a torn biceps injury, and it is arguably the injury that this Buffalo team could not afford to have.
Oliver played in just three games this season, and the defense did not perform up to snuff in the games that he missed. Teams like the Dolphins, Saints and Patriots all had some success moving the ball in the games that Oliver didn’t play, and the comfort level of the quarterbacks in those games was a big reason why.
Those quarterbacks were Tua Tagovailoa, Spencer Rattler and Drake Maye. Maye is an MVP candidate, but he still doesn’t have a resume that stacks up with that of Patrick Mahomes. If Mahomes is able to be comfortable and step up in the pocket, something that he does better than just about anyone in the NFL, it could be trouble for the Bills.
Oliver is also a strong player against the run. The Chiefs are not an explosive rushing attack with Kareem Hunt and Isiah Pacheco (who is likely to miss this game), but they have run the ball efficiently this season and currently rank ninth in the NFL in rushing success rate and third in total rushing EPA. If they are able to stay...
