KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Buffalo Bills thought they were closing the gap with the Kansas City Chiefs last season, then they lost a pair of games to their old AFL nemesis, including the AFC championship game in January.
There are plenty of people that think they’ve closed the gap some more this season.
They’ll have a chance to prove it Sunday night.
That’s when Josh Allen and the Bills return to Arrowhead Stadium to face Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs in the latest edition of their burgeoning rivalry.
Buffalo (3-1) is fresh off a 40-0 blitz of Houston and riding high behind one of the NFL’s best defenses, and Kansas City (2-2) believes it righted itself last week in Philadelphia after a rare two-game skid.
“You know, I’m sure we have a core group of players that were there and can take what happened in that experience and learn from it,” Bills coach Sean McDermott, a longtime assistant to Chiefs counterpart Andy Reid, said of the January loss.
“That said,” McDermott continued, “that’s about the only thing that’ll impact this game, because that game was X-amount of time ago and they’re a different team. We’re a different team.”
At least on defense, the Bills certainly seem to be a better team. Leslie Frazier’s bunch has helped them to three straight wins after a season-opening loss to Pittsburgh, and even then the Bills defense allowed just 252 yards and 16 points.
And when McDermott talks about experience in facing Kansas City last year, he’s talking about a defense that returns 10 starters — the only exception is defensive tackle Star Lotulelei, who opted out of playing last season for COVID-19 reasons.
They’ll have their hands full with the Chiefs again, though. Not only is Mahomes playing at a high level after throwing five touchdown passes against the Eagles, so is Tyreek Hill (three of the TD catches), tight end Travis Kelce and running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire, who is coming off back-to-back 100-yard rushing performances.
Oh, and the Chiefs could have wide receiver Josh Gordon on the field for the first time.
“He’s a tremendous guy,” Mahomes said, “and you can tell he loves playing football. He loves being here. Loves being part of this locker room, and then talent you can just see. How fast he is, how big he is, how good he gets in and out of cuts.”
While the Bills’ defense has been downright dominant, the Chiefs’ defense ranks among the worst in the league in just about every category this season. That includes the one that matters the most: points.
Kansas City has allowed at least 29 in every game so far this season.
“I mean, of course we hated the way that it ended last year,” Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs said. “Anybody with a competitive nature would hate the way that it ended. But it’s a big game because it’s the next game, and it’s the same way that we approached all the games previous to this, so I wouldn’t make it more than what it is. And we aren’t doing that.”
