The Kansas City Chiefs are home for the second consecutive game, this time for a highly anticipated matchup against the Buffalo Bills in Week 6.
After a divisional-round matchup last season that had game-of-the-year qualities, everyone is expecting a playoff-like game between two of the best teams in football. The Bills are coming off a dominant win over the Steelers, while the Chiefs squeaked out a win against their rival Raiders on Monday night. Which team will exit this game in sole possession of first place in the AFC conference?
Here are five of the things we’ll be looking for that could help determine the outcome of the game:
Offensive line play improved?
AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann
Against the Raiders in Week 5, the offensive line didn’t get out to a great start. They actually had to be verbally challenged by Patrick Mahomes to pick up their game going into the second quarter. He basically told them — they’re giving us man coverage looks, guys are getting open, you just need to give me the time to throw it. Sure enough, the first and second-half splits for Orlando Brown Jr. and Andrew Wylie were night and day. They’re going to face a similar challenge this week with Von Miller on one side and Greg Rousseau on another. Will the offensive line get out to a better start this week? They are expected to have Trey Smith back in the mix at right guard, which could prove quite important in both pass protection and the run game. But if the offense is to have a quick start in this game, they’re going to need the offensive trenches to get off to a better start.
Containing Josh Allen
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When you’re playing against Josh Allen, not only do you need to defend every blade of grass in the passing game, but you need to stay cognizant of his ability to beat you with his legs too. Allen is averaging 45 rushing yards per game on the year. In four of five weeks this season, he’s led Buffalo in rushing yards or tied for the team lead. Chiefs fans would have a little bit more confidence in their ability to defend Allen as a ball carrier if Willie Gay Jr. was going to be playing this week. Without him, it’s going to be Nick Bolton and Darius Harris on the field for the majority of the linebacker repetitions because the Bills run a lot of 11 personnel. They’ll be key in getting Allen down before he makes a big gain in the rushing game. He’s tough for defensive backs to get on the ground because of his size.
Joshua Williams' first start
AP Photo/Peter Aiken
The Chiefs’ fourth-round draft pick out of Fayetteville State is gearing up for the first start of his NFL career. He’s played a few defensive snaps in Week 1 and a key defensive snap at the end of Week 5. In those snaps, Williams has allowed one reception on just three targets, good for a 42.4 passer rating into his coverage per PFF. When you look at what he accomplished in the preseason, it was a bit of a struggle for Williams. He allowed seven receptions on 11 targets and an 88.8 passer rating into his coverage. Andy Reid claims that his play on special teams has helped the game slow down a bit for him in these first five weeks. What version of Williams will the Chiefs get against Bills WRs Stefon Diggs, Gabe Davis and Isaiah McKenzie?
Is Joe Cullen the Chiefs' secret weapon?
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Could the Chiefs’ defensive line coach actually play a bigger part in this week’s game plan? Cullen came to Kansas City from the Jaguars, where he was the defensive coordinator in 2021. Most people scoffed at that fact when the Chiefs brought him in, but for all the poor performance that occurred in Jacksonville, they had a remarkable performance against one key opponent. That opponent, of course, was Josh Allen and the Bills.
Fun fact. #Chiefs DL coach Joe Cullen was the Jaguars defensive coordinator last year that held Buffalo to six points, 6 of 15 on 3rd down, 229 passing, 72 rushing, forced 3 turnovers and 4 sacks. pic.twitter.com/6CiAbAw62N
— Nick Jacobs (@Jacobs71) October 13, 2022
Allen was held to 31-of-47 for 246 yards and two interceptions in that game. Allen was sacked four times for 35 yards, he fumbled twice and he lost one of the fumbles. Cullen’s defense had him playing the most disjointed football that he has played since his rookie season. That’s the type of performance that the defense needs to force in Week 6 to give the Chiefs the best shot at winning the game. Will Steve Spagnuolo be able to draw anything from Cullen’s game plan to help slow down Buffalo’s offense? Maybe a specific game up front or an effective blitz that they used. It’s definitely worth keeping an eye on.
Receiver du jour
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Mahomes and the offensive coaching staff have been saying it all year — you’re not going to know where the Chiefs’ passing attack is coming from on a weekly basis. We already know that Travis Kelce is going to get his, even if an opponent is double- or triple-teaming him in coverage. But after Kelce, who knows? Last week, it was Marquez Valdes-Scantling that stepped up. Who could it be this week, though? Mecole Hardman hasn’t really seen a big statistical performance yet this season, it almost feels as if he’s overdue. Last season he had nine receptions for 76 yards against the Bills in the regular season. In the postseason, he was held to just one catch for 26 yards. Maybe this is the breakout week for rookie WR Skyy Moore that fans have been hoping for. Maybe it’s JuJu Smith-Schuster, who hasn’t had a 100-yard receiving game since 2019.