Bills at Chiefs: 6 things to watch for in Week 14
The Buffalo Bills (6-6) continue their regular season journey on the road against the Kansas City Chiefs (8-4) in Week 14 on Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium.
All week, topics and storylines have been discussed ahead of these two familiar opponents facing off.
In the end, regardless of what is said by players, coaches, media outlets and fans, it always comes down to what unfolds on the field in the NFL.
And once the battle arrives, there will be a few particular things to keep in mind to look out for.
With that, are six things to watch for during Sunday’s Bills at Chiefs matchup in Kansas City:
Outside pressures
There is a lot of outside noise surrounding Orchard Park right now.
A rundown:
The Bills cannot afford a loss. They are on the outside looking into the AFC playoffs.
Von Miller’s situation continues to unfold following his arrest.
A damning report on Bills head coach Sean McDermott was dropped at Go Long (subscribe here). The coach is not going to be happy about that.
And does he play?
Speaking of Miller, the initial reactions to his arrest from the team were not really well received. He is available to play against the Chiefs, according to general manager Brandon Beane… But will he? And following an extended break, can he find himself a sack? His knee has clearly held him back.
Does Brady need to adjust?
The Bills decided to fire offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey and move onto Joe Brady. In two games, the offense has performed well, scoring 66 points combined.
But the audition will really begin coming out of the bye. Brady’s offense in Buffalo now has two games of it on film–And tough upcoming opponents such as the Kansas City Chiefs and Dallas Cowboys will have plenty of knowledge at their disposal.
Allen vs. Mahomes
We admit this is a bit of an off-field storyline… but it’s true on the field as well. Josh Allen vs. Patrick Mahomes is going to be a matchup watch by many, in and out of Buffalo/Kansas City.
Two elite quarterbacks facing off always gets a lot of eyeballs on it… and these two have had some fun matchups even if both teams aren’t performing as well as we’ve seen in recent years.
Allen is 2-1 in the regular season against Kansas City in his career… but 0-2 in the playoffs.
Returnees from injury
As always, post-bye week, it’s all about health.
The Bills activated tight end Dawson Knox and cornerback Kaiir Elam off of injured reserve. That does not guarantee they’ll play, but it’s a good step.
In addition, cornerback Dane Jackson has cleared concussion protocol.
There should be a few health boosts for the Bills.
If it's tight, what happens on defense?
As has been the case too often this season, the Bills have seen late losses and defeats in close games. Buffalo is 2-6 overall this season in one-score games.
Some, not all of it, falls on the defense. However, McDermott’s group most recently have not closed out a close game in an overtime loss to the Philadelphia Eagles prior to the bye. Eyes will be on him and the entire unit in a big way if this game is close.
