Buffalo News

‘The Bills squandered two opportunities in the first half after starting with good field position. In the first quarter, leading 6-0, the Bills started at their 40-yard line and moved into Chiefs territory after receiver Khalil Shakir’s 15-yard catch on third-and-9. But three plays gained only two yards and the Bills punted. In the second quarter, a 25-yard punt return by rookie Brandon Codrington set up the Bills at the Chiefs’ 41. But three plays gained 7 yards, and on fourth down, Allen threw an interception.’

‘“That was a great football play,” Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes said. “I’ve seen the play they ran. I saw it on the field, and that was not really an option. That was just a guy making a play in a big moment. Whenever the play’s not there, he does a great job of making plays happen. That’s what he did on that last play.”’

‘The Bills hit Mahomes seven times, with Von Miller also getting a sack. Greg Rousseau had two quarterback hits. The Bills also defended five passes, including one each by Christian Benford and Cam Lewis. Benford and Rasul Douglas each made three tackles. The Bills allowed just one pass of more than 16 yards.’

‘When the main-set team of James Brown, Bill Cowher, Nate Burleson, J.J. Watt and Matt Ryan were seated around 11:55 a.m., Burleson immediately rose from his chair to pump up the crowd, who instantly acquiesced. Fans arrived with signs à la ESPN’s “College GameDay.”’

‘Allen-Mahomes, since they first faced off in October 2020, has been a wonderful thing. For pro football. For the cities. For the franchises. And for the quarterbacks. Seven games in, it’s a rivalry that has helped propel both players to stardom – and in Mahomes’ case, three Super Bowl titles.’

‘Mahomes is able to make plays happen out of nothing. Luckily, the Bills’ defense practices against that tendency daily with their own quarterback, Josh Allen. Even when a play seems over, the Bills’ defense has to be ready for anything.’

12 – Living dangerously is no problem for the Chiefs. Kansas City has 12 straight wins in one-possession games, and the Chiefs have won nine straight when they face a second-half deficit. The Bills are 3-1 in one-score games this year and were 6-7 last season.’

‘The bye week can’t come soon enough for the Bills, who really need to get healthy. They’ve held things together quite well in the face of so many injuries to their wide receivers, and now tight end Dalton Kincaid, but it is going to catch up to them at some point. The Chiefs have a top-five defense in both yards and points allowed. They are great at defending the run. Without Kincaid and Keon Coleman, and Amari Cooper at less than 100% if he plays, that is asking too much of the Bills’ offense in this game. The Bills’ plus-13 turnover differential leads the league. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw nine interceptions in his team’s first seven games, but hasn’t thrown a pick in each of the past two weeks. If Mahomes plays a clean game, it’s hard to envision the Bills outscoring him. Chiefs, 24-20.’

‘“(Chiefs-Bills) was the No. 1 game on our list because of the star power, the history, the rivalry and the incredible games between these two teams,” Berson said. “We’re the home of the AFC and we’ve been telling this (Mahomes-Allen) story and we wanted to continue to be the place that tells that story.”’

‘The Bills have 16 pending unrestricted free agents, but just three would be considered starters: Wide receiver Amari Cooper, cornerback Rasul Douglas and safety Damar Hamlin.’

‘When the Kansas City Chiefs came to Buffalo in January to face the Bills in the playoffs, Bernard was dealing with an ankle injury. He did not practice the week leading up to the divisional matchup, but still he was listed as questionable for the game and tried to take the field. Ultimately, he was unable to play. He instead watched the game as he gave as much information to his teammates as he could about what he was seeing on the field.’

‘“It was an amazing experience and I learned so much,” Shurmur told me after emerging from a staff meeting Thursday night. “It really opened my eyes to playing the quarterback position in a place like Kansas City, which has always had a rich quarterback culture.”’

‘Kincaid will miss the second game of his two-year career; he sat out last October’s win over the New York Giants with a concussion.’

‘“This is a big deal,” said Nantz in a telephone interview. “That show is about 50 years old overall and to my knowledge − and if I don’t know no one else would − they’ve never taken the show on the road for a regular season game.”’

‘Most of the cost overruns are a product of market conditions – increasing prices for materials, like structural steel, and for workforce, according to the team.’