Bills vs. Chiefs: 4 important facts to know for Week 11 AFC powerhouse showdown
By Brandon Ray
The game of the week has officially arrived between the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs are looking to get their 10th win and remain undefeated, while the Bills are looking to win their 6th game in a row and improve to 9-2 while also earning a potential tiebreaker on the Chiefs.
Since 2020, this has become a little bit of a rivalry. While the Bills have dominated the Chiefs in the regular season, Kansas City has owned the Bills in the playoffs. Now we get to see a new chapter in this rivalry.
Sean McDermott and Andy Reid worked together in Philadelphia, so both coaches know each other very well. With the way McDermott has been able to build up the Bills’ defense and Reid being an offensive genius for Kansas City, both coaches are looking to get upper hand on one another.
While fans are getting ready for what should be another great chapter between the Bills and Chiefs, there are some important facts that Bills Mafia needs to keep in mind as kickoff gets closer.
Chiefs looking for first regular season win vs. Bills since 2020
While Bills fans know that the playoffs is the biggest challenge when it comes to facing the Chiefs, being successful against them in the regular season is nothing to overlook. Kansas City has not won against the Bills in the regular season since 2020. It was the covid year and the Chiefs defeated the Bills 26-17.
Even though the main goal is to beat the Chiefs in the playoffs, getting the tiebreaker advantage is huge. It’s better to play them at home rather than in Arrowhead.
Josh Allen’s completion percentage is not the greatest vs. Chiefs
The Bills are the type of team where they play up and down to their competition. The teams that are great, Buffalo tends to play great football. The Chiefs always give the Bills a run for their money but Buffalo has been able to cash their checks the last three years. However, it is a little bit of a roller coaster ride with Josh Allen under center.
Typically, if quarterbacks don’t achieve a 60% completion rate, there isn’t a ton of success. However, Allen is 3-1 in the regular season against the Chiefs, but has only completed 60% of his throws just once in those games. While it is not the deciding factor between a win and loss, it does play a role.
Kansas City’s defense is arguably the best in the league going into this game and they will be looking to rattle Allen. While we have seen Allen make magician-like throws this year, it is not sustainable. He will need be smart with the ball and not force any big plays that could come back to haunt the Bills.
Last four total matchups have ended in a six-point or less score
The last time a Bills vs. Chiefs game ended with a double digit win was in 2021 where Buffalo dominated Kansas City 38-20. Since then, both teams have faced off against each other four times and it has come down to a single possession. The biggest point differential is six points, which took place in the dreadful 2021-2022 divisional game where the Bills blew a three point lead in 13 seconds.
Buffalo has then defeated the Chiefs by four points and three points, while the Chiefs eliminated the Bills last year in the playoffs, winning 27-24. Today’s game would be no surprise if it came down to the wire yet again.
Josh Allen & Patrick Mahomes are slowly reaching even more history
Two of the best quarterbacks in the league will take the field and both of them seem to be nearing or making history every single week. Whether it is franchise history or across the league, Allen and Mahomes are each climbing the history books somehow, someway.
According to the Buffalo Bills PR X account, both Mahomes and Allen are only training Hall of Fame quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Dan Marino for the most total touchdowns all-time before turning 30 years old. Mahomes is sitting at 244 while Allen is just two behind at 242.
It is more than likely that Allen and Mahomes will be at the top of list at some point this year, as long as they stay on their current tracks that they are on.