Chiefs report card: Might have to repeat a grade after this lopsided loss to Bills
So much for this battle of AFC titans.
The Buffalo Bills wrecked the Chiefs 38-20 in a rematch of last season’s conference championship game Sunday night at Arrowhead Stadium.
Buffalo’s defense was excellent. The Chiefs committed four turnovers for the second time in three games and they fell to 2-3 this season.
A year ago, on their way to a second straight Super Bowl appearance, the Chiefs lost only two regular-season games all year.
KC STAR OF THE GAME
Not many choices here. Let’s go with Mecole Hardman, who set career bests with nine receptions and 12 targets. That also speaks to the superb job the Bills did defending Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill.
Next: The Chiefs play at the Washington Football Team, a 33-22 loser to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, next weekend. The game kicks off at noon (Central) Sunday and will be televised by CBS (Ch. 5)
REPORT CARD
Passing offense: D
Choppy, clunky, off-target in ways we’re not used to seeing. On the first series, Patrick Mahomes couldn’t take advantage of busted coverage and missed a wide-open Travis Kelce. Tyreek Hill dropped a ball on the same series.
The Bills’ excellent coverage took away the deep ball, and Mahomes threw the second pick-six of his career when Micah Hyde returned a ball deflected off Hill for a 26-yard score. On the play before that, Mecole Hardman ran the wrong route on an incompletion.
Mahomes’ second interception was just a terrific play by defensive end Greg Rousseau, who batted the ball to himself for the pick. Mahomes’ best throw of the half was a 5-yard touchdown pass to Byron Pringle.
The final indignity: Mahomes fumble late in the fourth quarter for the Chiefs’ fourth turnover.
Passing defense: F
Awful in the first half. Safety Dan Sorensen is going to take most of the heat, and he deserves it. But L’Jarius Sneed got burned on a Josh Allen touchdown pass to Emmanual Sanders.
Allen averaged 31.1 yards per completion in the first half, the most by an NFL quarterback in one half (minimum seven completions) in three decades. Photos of Tyrann Mathieu with his arms up as Bills targets raced past Sorensen for big gains were making the rounds on social media before game’s end.
Complain about the Frank Clark roughing-the-passer penalty in the fourth quarter, but the Chiefs benefited from a roughing call moments earlier.
Rushing offense: C
The Chiefs have established the ground game over the past few weeks as teams’ sought to take away their deep threats. That’s meant longer drives and more plays.
The Chiefs needed 17 plays for their opening drive, which resulted in a field goal. Another 12 were required for their lone touchdown of the first half.
After the Bills took a 14-10 lead in the second quarter, the Chiefs took over at the 28 and got a carry for no gain by Clyde Edwards-Helaire and a rush for minus-1 by Darrel Williams sandwiched around a short completion. Punter Tommy Townsend took the field for the first time in two games, and the Bills scored 10 on their next two possessions to open up a two-score lead.
Mahomes led the Chiefs with 62 rushing yards.
Rushing defense: D
Allen can hurt defenses with his legs as well as his arm and the Chiefs looked out of position on his 9-yard touchdown run. A 22-yard run by Allen set up his touchdown keeper.
The Kansas City defense gets credit for two stops to open the second half. Maybe the Chiefs can build off that.
Special teams: D
It’s been five games now that the Chiefs’ specials teams unit hasn’t made a play of impact. For the second straight week, Byron Pringle fumbled a kickoff return. Unlike last week, this one was recovered by the opposition. That giveaway didn’t result in points.
Harrison Butker had his first multi-field goal game since the Chiefs’ opener and booted a 54-yarder just before halftime.
This story was originally published October 10, 2021 at 11:39 PM.