Edmonton Journal

Chiefs, Bills meet coming off ugly losses

- JOHN KRYK Jokryk@postmedia.com @Johnkryk

For a couple weeks there, it appeared the Chiefs and Bills were headed for a tasty showdown of undefeated AFC powers on Thursday Night Football.

Instead, because of coronaviru­s-caused rescheduli­ng and an ugly loss by each last week, 4-1 Kansas City plays at 4-1 Buffalo on Monday.

The game should end just before the regularly scheduled Monday Night Football game begins: Arizona at Dallas.

The Chiefs lost at home last Sunday, 40-32 to the Las Vegas Raiders. The Bills lost at Tennessee on Tuesday, 42-16.

Both Kansas City's and Buffalo's defences got shredded.

And their quarterbac­ks, who'd played like world-beaters through Week 4 — Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen, respective­ly — each made a ton of mistakes, usually under constant pressure.

The Chiefs seemed more stunned and bothered than you normally see of players following an October loss — K.C.'S first defeat in 11 months.

What does Chiefs head coach Andy Reid want his defending Super Bowl champions to do in Buffalo, by way of responding? In short: Relax.

“I want the guys to just come out and play, be themselves,” Reid said. “Let their personalit­ies show and play. I expect the coaches and the players to do the same thing.”

In the doublehead­er's nightcap, the Cowboys defence has an immense challenge against mobile, big-play producing Cardinals quarterbac­k Kyler Murray.

It's Andy Dalton's first start at QB for Dallas, after having spent the first nine years of his career in Cincinnati.

He replaces Dak Prescott, the league's passing leader in 2020 whose season ended in ghastly fashion last Sunday when he suffered a dislocated foot and fractured ankle on a crunching tackle.

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