Instant analysis of Chiefs’ Week 6 loss to Bills
The Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills proved to be the cream of the crop in the NFL in a tightly-contested game. It came down to the wire as everyone expected it to, but a costly interception from Patrick Mahomes would be the difference in the final minute of the game.
So what else did we learn about the Chiefs in their latest game?
Final Score: Bills 24, Chiefs 20
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This game was a struggle for the Chiefs on both sides of the ball. Offensive execution was inconsistent all day in both the running game and the passing game. They really struggled to stay ahead of the sticks with penalties and plays for loss or no gain. Defensive execution was up and down throughout the game, which is to be expected with key players like Willie Gay Jr. and Trent McDuffie still absent. Overall, the team has quite a bit to clean up heading into the final week before the bye.
Weekly Awards
Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Chiefs Wire Game Ball: WR JuJu Smith-Schuster
Harrison Butker Rookie of the Game: RB Isiah Pacheco
Casey Wiegmann Veteran of the Game: LB Darius Harris
Jamaal Charles Offensive Player of the Game: TE Travis Kelce
Bobby Bell Defensive Player of the Game: LB Nick Bolton
Morten Andersen Special Teams Player of the Game: K Harrison Butker
Otis Taylor Play of the Game: K Harrison Butker’s 62-yard field goal.
Wesley Roesch Stat of the Game: Chiefs 4-of-11 on third down.
Quick-hitting observations and analysis
Early on in the game, the Bills were rolling with heavy personnel to get some matchups they liked. The Chiefs responded by playing zone coverage and Josh Allen was throwing the ball all over the field.
The pass rush is never easy against the Bills and Josh Allen, but it was particularly bad on Sunday afternoon. They only managed two quarterback hits and no sacks in the first half. They saved their lone sack of the game for the fourth quarter, but that play by Chris Jones probably should have been called for a tripping penalty. The bottom line, they need to be better in this department.
Andrew Wylie struggled with the inside move against Maxx Crosby last week. The Bills clearly saw that in their film study because they lined Von Miller across from him often and had him attacking the inside shoulder. On plays where Trey Smith or the running back couldn’t help, it was ugly.
Von Miller really felt like the difference in this game, he was a huge mismatch for the Chiefs’ offensive tackles, getting sacks and pressure at key moments of the game. Defensively, the fact that the Chiefs were unable to get much in the way of sacks or pressures themselves — it sure feels like they could use an impact edge rusher like Miller.
The run game continues to see some issues with consistency. The big problem I’m seeing is that everyone seems to be a master of one thing, but they don’t really have any jack-of-all-trades they can rely on snap-to-snap. Isiah Pacheco had some good carries and a great catch. Clyde Edwards-Helaire struggled all around. Jerick McKinnon was an ace on pass protection.
JuJu Smith-Schuster finally had the breakout performance Chiefs fans have been waiting for. He recorded his first touchdown with the Chiefs and also went over 100 yards receiving for the first time since Week 8 of 2019 when the Steelers played the Dolphins on ”
“Monday Night Football.”Joshua Williams didn’t have a particularly good game in Week 6. After earning praise for his press coverage in Week 5 against Raiders WR Davante Adams, he struggled on two of his man coverage snaps. He surrendered touchdowns to both Stefon Diggs and Gabriel Davis in the same coverage and technique. He’ll learn eventually, but not exactly the performance you want from the rookie in this one.
Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce remain an all-time connection. They’re just on a different level when it comes to the timing of routes and throws.
Darius Harris continues to flash in some key moments for the Chiefs’ defense. Steve Spagnuolo said this week that he wants to find more opportunities for him on defense when Willie Gay Jr. gets back.
Up next:
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The Chiefs will head to The Golden City to face the San Francisco 49ers in Week 7. This is actually the first time these two teams have met since K.C. defeated the 49ers in Super Bowl LIV.
