Top 3 Individual Matchups
1 – Corey Graham vs. Travis KelceThe Chiefs tight end leads the team in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. He also leads all NFL tight ends in yards after the catch. This will be a matchup that figures to see more than just Graham for the Bills as a coverage assignment.
2 – Jerry Hughes vs. Eric FisherBuffalo's edge rusher has been flipping sides more often than in the past, but a majority of the matchups will be against Fisher. The Chiefs left tackle is part of a line that's given up 34 sacks, which is third-highest in the NFL this season.
3 – Sammy Watkins vs. Marcus PetersThe Chiefs rookie cornerback has held his own against top flight competition. Buffalo's offensive staff is determined to make Watkins a major component of the offense on a more consistent basis.
Bills Top 2 Advantages
Good advantage – Red zone offenseThe Bills are only near the middle of the pack when it comes to scoring touchdowns in the red zone at almost 53 percent, but the Chiefs struggled defensively inside their 20-yard line. They rank 29th in red zone defense and allow their opponents to string together successful plays 52 percent of the time, which is the highest rate allowed in the league.
Best advantage – Pass rushBuffalo's production had dipped considerably from that of the past two years when it's come to their pass rush. However, Rex Ryan is back to coaching the defense his way and there's been a noticeable uptick in their pass pressure the last few weeks. Facing a Chiefs offense that's 30th in sacks allowed could prove to be a very favorable matchup with or without Mario Williams.
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Bills Number 1 Must
Pass game production **The Bills can run the football against almost any defensive front and be productive, but there has to be a greater balance between the production they get from each part of their attack. More yards through the air will be necessary to penetrate a very stingy Kansas City defense.
Scouting Eye
West or Ware?The Chiefs lost feature back Jamaal Charles for the season with an ACL injury a month ago, but their run game hasn't suffered a big drop off. Kansas City is ninth in rushing and Charcandrick West has carried most of the load. But West suffered a hamstring injury last week and Spencer Ware replaced him. All Ware did was run for 101 yards and a pair of touchdowns against the Chargers. Both can run with power and have some elusiveness to their games.
No picksKansas City QB Alex Smith has been a good protector of the football thus far this season. He's got just three interceptions on the season and hasn't thrown an INT since Week 3. It's been more than 250 pass attempts since Smith gave it to the opposing team. In fact on the Chiefs current four-game winning streak they haven't had a single turnover, which set a franchise record.
Stingy 'D'Defensive coordinator Bob Sutton has put together a pretty sound unit on his side of the ball. On their current four-game winning streak they've held their opponents to less than 10 points per game (9.75 ppg). Part of their success can be attributed to their takeaway ability. The Chiefs have 14 interceptions this season, which is second-most in the NFL. Their plus-10 turnover differential leads the AFC.
Positioned wellThe Chiefs stand sixth in the league in scoring efficiency. Their success in putting points on the board at a clip of almost 26 per game can be credited to their outstanding field position. Kansas City leads the league in average starting field position at better than their own 31-yard line. A total of 17 of their possessions this season have been in their opponent's territory.
Winning bigWhen the Chiefs have won games they've won big. In their last three games alone they've won by 35, 16 and 30 points. That's why over the course of the first 11 weeks of the NFL season no other team has an average margin of victory larger than Kansas City. When the Chiefs win they do it by an average of better than 19 points (19.6).
Jumping themPart of the reason the Chiefs have been able to pull away from teams in their wins is because of their fast starts. On their current four-game winning streak Kansas City has outscored their opponents in the first half by a count of 64-9. The second quarter is where the Chiefs have the most lopsided scoring differential. They're outscoring opponents by a count of 91 to 37 in the second quarter.
Buffalo Chips
Quote of the week"We know what we have to do and we know what we have in front of us, so we just have to go out and play the game and have fun. We know what's at stake, so we just have to get prepared this week and get ready to play KC."
--WR Sammy Watkins
Stat of the weekThe Bills lead the league in points scored outside the red zone with a total of 139 this season.
Milestones in reachRonald Darby needs two passes defensed for 20 on the season.
Corey Graham needs one tackle to set a career high. His current high was 81 set in 2008.
LeSean McCoy needs 98 yards from scrimmage to reach 10,000 for his career.
Final noteBuffalo has won three of their last four games at Kansas City.
