Bills’ tight ends made the difference vs. Chiefs. What KC defenders said about it
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Buffalo used James Cook's run threat to open middle and target tight ends.
- Dalton Kincaid recorded a 100-yard game and beat linebacker coverage on key plays.
- Chiefs defenders said Buffalo's scheme emphasizes middle attacks, perimeter and bootlegs.
In the locker room after Sunday afternoon’s 28-21 loss to the Buffalo Bills, several Kansas City Chiefs acknowledged the same reality — that the host Bills brought more energy and played the more physical game.
In a way, Buffalo’s offensive plan was straightforward: establish the threat of its most explosive player, running back James Cook, to open lanes and soften Kansas City’s middle of the field.
Following the game, green-dot linebacker Nick Bolton said the Bills’ plan has become one his Chiefs have grown to expect.
“Honestly, that’s kind of what their scheme is overall, period,” Bolton said. “They do the same things over and over — in terms of attacking the middle of the field, matching their run plays with their pass plays, getting the ball on the perimeter, bootlegs, attacking the middle of the field with different combinations.
“That’s what they do. That’s their DNA. That’s how they play football.”
Five of Bills’ first 10 offensive plays went to the running back, setting up their first touchdown — a 23-yard strike to tight end Dalton Kincaid that would mark only the beginning of the second 100-yard day of his career.
On Kincaid’s score, he beat Chiefs linebacker Drue Tranquill was in coverage. And even though it may not have been Tranquill’s best outing, to his credit, he didn’t shy away from questions in the locker room.
“They got Dalton a few times on the (corner routes),” Tranquill said. “Got tangled up with his feet, fell down, so he’s wide open.”
Dalton’s catch gave the Bills a quick 7-0 lead. Later, Josh Allen found Kincaid twice in the middle, including on a crosser where Kincaid beat Tranquill again before gaining 47 yards down the left sideline.
“It feels like he got across the middle a few times,” Tranquill said. “Josh was able to extend the play and then find him late in the down. They were effective throwing the football there over the middle into those guys.”
The issues the Bills created for Kansas City in its scheme mirror a league-wide emphasis to win at the second level. Few teams execute this better than the Bills, who also count on receiver Khalil Shakir to win there.
“(The Bills) match (their) runs with (their) passes and get linebackers or safeties to bite up, or extend the down and pull flat defenders out and then try to loop in a guy behind,” Tranquill said. “Teams are constantly trying to find guys to get open, and it seems like those — what we call B-lines — going from strong to weak and then weak to strong and clearing everybody out and hitting those deep over routes, it seems to be a theme throughout the NFL. You’ve seen it increasing over the past few years for sure.”
The Bills’ sound protection — paired with Allen’s ability to extend the play — only amplified this problem, which means that Kansas City’s defensive front needs to get home when the opportunity presents itself.
The Chiefs sacked Allen three times on Sunday, but only two takedowns were credited to the front four.
“There’s still room for improvement,” Kansas City defensive tackle Chris Jones said. “If we plan on winning, especially the front four D-line, we’ve got to affect the quarterback. We’ve got to. It makes it easier for the defense and in makes it easier for the back end. And we got to take advantage of one-on-ones.
“When we get single blocks, you’ve got to win. You’ve got to win. That’s huge going forward. We’ve got to emphasize winning our one-on-ones. If we get a one-on-one, we’ve got to win.”
Entering the matchup with the Bills, the Chiefs had put up good defensive performances against tight ends, surrendering just 36.5 yards per game against the position. On Sunday, they gave up 149, including explosive plays to tight ends on each of Buffalo’s first three scoring drives.
The result was 28 points — and on this day, the offense couldn’t keep pace.
Now, the Chiefs enter their bye week off a loss, but the tight end schedule doesn’t ease up when they return. Kansas City’s next three games feature matchups against talented tight ends, in Evan Engram (Broncos), Tyler Warren (Colts) and Jake Ferguson (Cowboys) — all of whom will surely fire up tape of Kincaid’s day vs. the Chiefs.
Asked what he wants to see after the bye, Tranquill stated plainly, “just consistency.”
“We’ve played great ball the past couple of weeks and then didn’t have a great game today, so just consistency in our play,” he said. “And just keep getting better as we head toward the end.”
This story was originally published November 2, 2025 at 9:05 PM.
