Here’s how the Chiefs hope to slow down the Bills’ three-headed receiving attack Monday
Week 5 didn’t produce a good game for the Chiefs’ pass defense, which entered the game ranked third in the league.
The Chiefs found themselves on the receiving end of an aerial bombardment, courtesy of the Las Vegas Raiders. And when the dust settled from a 40-32 loss, the Chiefs allowed 347 yards passing and three touchdowns, including two that covered 59 and 79 yards respectively.
In total, the Chiefs allowed a head-turning six plays of 20 or more yards through the air, which isn’t a good tune-up for cornerbacks Charvarius Ward, Bashaud Breeland and Rashad Fenton against the Buffalo Bills.
With quarterback Josh Allen at the helm, the Bills’ passing game enters Week 6 ranked second in the league (308 yards per game), with wide receivers Stefon Diggs, John Brown and Cole Beasley spearheading the attack.
Dealing with Allen is a challenge in itself, but Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo knows Buffalo’s three-headed wideout group presents a real problem.
“They’ve got three of them that we got to be concerned about,” Spagnuolo said Friday. “You can’t double them all — then you don’t have any players left to either stop the run or rush the passer.”
The 6-foot, 191-pound Diggs, who joined the Bills via trade from Minnesota during the offseason, paces Buffalo’s wide receiver corps with 36 catches for 509 yards and two touchdowns on 51 targets.
Despite having no offseason workouts to build a rapport with his quarterback, Diggs didn’t take long to become Allen’s go-to guy. The sixth-year pro is on his way to his third 1,000-yard campaign.
“There’s obviously chemistry there — instant — because they really haven’t been together a long time, didn’t have the offseason .... they came right out of the block,” Spagnuolo said. “Obviously, it’s because you got a real good, talented quarterback and he (Diggs) is obviously a talented receiver, but it’s impressive to me. It really is.”
Diggs is the clear No. 1 receiving threat for the Bills, but Brown and Beasley provide their own set of unique challenges in complementary roles.
The 5-foot-11, 178-pound Brown didn’t play in Week 5 because of a knee injury, but he practiced fully Thursday and appears on track to return to the lineup. Brown, who has been clocked with a 4.34 time in the 40-yard dash, brings the speed element to the Bills’ downfield attack.
With the 5-foot-8, 174-pound Beasley, the Chiefs must contend with a savvy veteran route runner widely regarded as one of the NFL’s top slot receivers. Beasley’s 24 catches for 313 yards on 30 targets are second-most on the team.
So what is the best way to contain Allen and the Bills’ passing attack?
“It’s stopping the run first,” Chiefs defensive end Frank Clark said. “When I stop the run, that’s 50 percent chance that I don’t got to think about doing one job Once we’re able to do that, then we can rush the passer and have fun on that level.’‘
Sounds simple enough, but the Chiefs have endured their issues this season against the run and currently rank 29th in the league (157.6 yards allowed per game).
The Chiefs’ run defense might catch a break this Monday, though, as the Bills average just 93.8 yards rushing per game (28th in the league) on 122 total attempts through five games — 22nd in the league.
The goal this week for Kansas City should surround shutting down Bills running back in Devin Singletary to make Buffalo’s offense more one-dimensional despite its potent group of receivers.
Then, the on-field chess game between the Bills’ passing game and Chiefs’ defense can be played in earnest.
“We got to pick our spots,” Spagnuolo said. “We got guys that we’re going to try and line up in there, play and try and mix it up a little bit. I’m not so sure there’s anything else you can do other than that.
“And somehow, some way, we need to affect the quarterback, where we don’t give him all that time that he can hit those weapons that he’s got downfield. Because, listen, they’ve got them all over the place, and with 15 (Brown) coming back, it just creates another headache.”
