Revisiting 5 Bills to watch vs. the Chiefs

The Buffalo Bills pulled off a 30-21 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 11, ending Kansas City’s unbeaten streak to start the season and inching closer to the one seed in the AFC Playoffs. While Buffalo may still be behind the Chiefs, all it takes now is a tie between the two clubs to give the Bills the advantage.

The Bills weren’t perfect on Sunday, but what they were was good enough to come out with their ninth win of the season. It took a fantastic defensive effort, a consistent offensive attack, and contributions from everyone on special teams, as well (shoutouts specifically to punt returner Brandon Codrington and punter Sam Martin).

Those specialists weren’t among our five players to watch this week, but those players who were all contributed in pretty big fashion. Here’s how our five Bills to watch performed against the Chiefs.

RB James Cook

The Chiefs made a concerted effort to slow Cook down, and in terms of his efficiency numbers, they were successful. Cook carried nine times for just 20 yards, and while he made five catches, he gained only seven yards on those grabs. It was clear that Kansas City wanted to keep him contained and force the Bills into 3rd & Long situations. They did that, yet the Bills and superhuman quarterback Josh Allen were still able to put up a 30-spot — the first time that’s happened to the Chiefs since the 2022 season. Cook contributed quite a lot in this one, though, as he scored both of Buffalo’s first-half touchdowns. He punctuated the Bills’ first scoring drive with a three-yard touchdown on a stretch run, and then he scored Buffalo’s second touchdown on the day by bulling his way into the end zone from six yards away. Cook was RB2 in terms of snaps — Ty Johnson led the way this time around — but he remained RB1 in terms of quantity of touches. Credit Kansas City for doing a good job limiting him, but they couldn’t keep him out of the end zone.

RG O’Cyrus Torrence

The second-year man was tasked with blocking Chris Jones, perenially one of the best defensive tackles in the league. It wasn’t always pretty, and it didn’t work on every play, but Torrence was often trusted to block Jones solo. He and the rest of Buffalo’s offensive line, which included first-time starter Ryan Van Demark, kept Josh Allen on his feet all day. In fact, it was only the second time Kansas City’s defense hasn’t notched a sack in a game since the start of the 2022 season. The other time was also against Allen and the Bills. Torrence looked great in what was arguably the biggest test of his young career.

EDGE Von Miller

Buffalo’s defensive front showed up in a big way this week. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes was under constant duress, as the Bills hit him seven times and sacked him twice. One of those two sacks went to Miller, who was consistently pressuring Mahomes on his 21 defensive snaps. Ed Oliver showed up, as did Greg Rousseau and A.J. Epenesa. Really, it was a total team effort on the defensive side of the ball. Miller looks spry and fully recovered from that ACL tear he suffered in 2022. He had two tackles and that big third-down sack.

LB Terrel Bernard

Perhaps it’s no coincidence that tight end Travis Kelce had his worst game against the Bills with Mahomes playing quarterback in the same game that Bernard was healthy and ready to go. Maybe it’s Father Time catching up to him. In any case, Bernard was a big factor in this one, as he expertly switched between playing zone and playing man, but also between playing blitzer and playing spy. The interplay between Bernard and Dorian Williams, who was caught in a bad spot on Xavier Worthy’s touchdown grab but was otherwise spectacular, was on full display Sunday. The next time these two teams meet, Bernard will likely be back with Matt Milano, as well. Bernard had a team-high eight tackles to go with a sack and a game-sealing interception in the fourth quarter.

CB Rasul Douglas

The big veteran had one drive where the Chiefs picked on him a bit, as they isolated him on Worthy a few times in the first quarter and used the rookie’s speed to their advantage. Otherwise, Douglas and the Bills’ corners were outstanding, forcing Mahomes to throw to players not named Kelce or DeAndre Hopkins, which was exactly the game plan for head coach Sean McDermott and defensive coordinator Bobby Babich. Douglas managed three tackles on the night, but he also had a funny moment when Mahomes was trying to draw the Bills offside. He started jawing at the Chiefs’ sideline, and then after Mahomes ran away from the formation when the delay of game penalty was called, Douglas chased after him and had a few words. He and Mahomes seemed to be having a good time jawing at each other. It’s that kind of attitude and ability that Buffalo missed in the playoffs, as Douglas was hampered by a knee issue in January. At full health, he showed exactly why the Bills brought him in last year.