Chiefs, Bills meet coming off ugly losses
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 will play at 4-1 Buffalo todayt.
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.
It's a long season, but the Chiefs seemed more stunned and bothered than you normally see of players following an October loss — Kansas City'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. That's how we roll, we've always done that here and don't plan on changing it.”
Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo told reporters his unit is coming off its best week of practice of the past two seasons. That'll help, because for the first time in ages the Bills have an offence that's often electrifying, led by blossoming third-year quarterback Allen.
“He's playing tremendous football,” Reid said. “He's got better every year … He has a pretty good grasp of that offence and does a great job. People question his accuracy; he's an accurate thrower and we see that play after play.”
In the doubleheader's nightcap, the Cowboys defence has an immense challenge against mobile, bigplay producing Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray. The Dallas D made the New York Giants' woeful attack even look good last week.
It's Andy Dalton's first start at quarterback 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.