The Buffalo Bills (8-2) continue their journey into the 2024 regular season with a home game against the Kansas City Chiefs (9-0) at Highmark Stadium.
The whole week, Themes and storylines were discussed before the meeting between these two AFC opponents.
Ultimately, regardless of what players, coaches, media and fans say, it all comes down to what happens on the NFL field.
And once the battle comes, there are a few special things to watch out for.
So here are seven things to look out for in Sunday's Bills-Chiefs matchup:
It starts early
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While the Bills are riding an impressive five-game winning streak, there were lulls early in the games. Look no further than last week Victory over the Indianapolis Colts. Buffalo trailed 13-10 at one point.
After the games in which the Bills got off to a slower start, the realization emerged: They can't do it against playoff teams. This is the Chiefs, and head coach Sean McDermott needs to have his locker room ready to go on Sunday.
(Regular season) at home against the Chiefs
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The narrative is that the Bills are struggling against the Chiefs. But that doesn't quite tell the whole story. The reality is that Buffalo did pretty well against Kansas City in the regular season. quarterback Josh Allen has the Bills with a 3-1 record against the Chiefs in the regular season. The last three of those four were actually on the road and Buffalo won all three.
The home advantage could make the difference.
More defense this time?
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For the Bills and Chiefs, the offense will always grab the headlines. However, both sides will also have improved defensive units in 2024.
The Bills have allowed 19.3 points per game, ninth best in football. Their 19 takeaways rank second. The Chiefs are allowing 83.2 rushing yards per game, third best, and 17.9 points per game (5th).
Just a few metrics to prove this is a solid pair.
Underdog Chiefs?
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At the time of publication, the Bills are the home team favorite to win against the Chiefs in Week 11. This team typically has a three-point lead in the spread in every game, and the limit is -2.5 in Buffalo's favor… So it's practically a selection.
Still, this could be a motivating factor for Kansas City. The last five times the Chiefs have been an underdog with Patrick Mahomes at quarterback… the result was a win for KC. It appears to be a motivating factor for the Chiefs.
Dealing with Kelce
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Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce remains a top NFL talent. He was also torn with the Bills in his career. Kelce is averaging 4.85 catches per game against Buffalo for 62.8 yards. It's worth noting that these numbers also include his early, not-so-productive years before Mahomes… but they're still very good.
The Bills defense knows they have to deal with Kelce… but saying that and doing that are two different things. Many teams in football can confirm this.
Josh vs. Pat, always
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Bills vs Chiefs? Even after all this time, it still highlights the quarterback battle between Allen and Mahomes. We don't need to say much more, everyone in the NFL world, not just in Buffalo and Kansas City, will be involved in this game.
Injuries to the playmaker
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We already know that rookie wide receiver Keon Coleman won't play against the Chiefs because of one thing Wrist injury. But Buffalo has two others to keep an eye on Injury report this week: wide receiver Amari Cooper (wrist) and tight end Dalton Kincaid (knee).
Allen needs someone to make plays for him…who will do that?
