Chiefs at halftime in Buffalo: Mahomes-to-Kelce connection working, Chiefs lead 13-10
On a rainy afternoon and early evening in Buffalo, the Chiefs took a 13-10 halftime lead over the Buffalo Bills.
The Chiefs got on the board with an 11-yard scoring pass from Patrick Mahomes to Travis Kelce, extending a couple of streaks.
Mahomes set a team record with a touchdown pass in his 16th straight game. That doesn’t include the Chiefs’ three postseason games after last season. The last time Mahomes didn’t throw a touchdown pass was in the Chiefs’ Week 4 victory at Detroit last season.
The reception was Kelce’s first of the game, extending his streak to 101 games with at least one catch.
The Mahomes-Kelce connection worked again in the second quarter, as Kelce flashed open in the end zone and ran under Mahomes’ touch pass for a 12-yard score.
Harrison Butker pushed the extra point, though, and his troubles continued in that department. It was his fourth miss in six games.
The Chiefs receive the second-half kickoff.
The penalized Chiefs
Penalties on Chiefs cornerbacks kept alive two Bills drives.
Charvarius Ward was called for pass interference on Stefon Diggs, a 24-yard penalty that set up the Bills’ first touchdown. The ball from Josh Allen would have been overthrown had Ward not gotten tied up with Diggs.
Later in the second quarter, on a third-and-11, Bashaud Breeland was flagged for illegal contact for an automatic first down.
Offensive line shuffling
After the first series, Chiefs tackle Mitchell Schwartz left the field for the locker room with a back injury. He had been listed as questionable before the game.
Monday marked the 134th start of Mitchell’s career. He’s never missed a starting assignment and hadn’t missed a snap in a game until last season.
Second-year pro Nick Allegretti, who had played 12 snaps in his career, entered the game at left guard.
Daniel Kilgore, who signed with the Chiefs before the season, got his first start at center. Austin Reiter, who started the first five games this season and all 16 plus the playoff games last year, was listed on the injury report this week with a knee issue, but he had been a full practice participant all week.
Kilgore entered the game with 56 career starts in 10 seasons. He spent his first seven years with the 49ers and the previous two with the Dolphins.
This story was originally published October 19, 2020 at 5:29 PM.