In Week 11, the Buffalo Bills are looking to end the Kansas City Chiefs unbeaten streak that dates back to last Christmas. In doing so, the Bills would secure their fourth-straight regular season victory over the defending Super Bowl champions.
But that’s easier said than done. The Chiefs still boast an elite roster that’s backed by one of the greatest quarterback and head coaching duos in NFL history — and not to mention, tight end Travis Kelce has re-found his Hall of Fame form in recent weeks.
In Chiefs fashion, the Bills need to exploit the weaknesses of their opponent on Sunday. And while they’re few and far between, injuries and a lack of experience will give Buffalo an edge in some categories.
1. Left Tackle Woes
Perhaps the Chiefs most glaring need is at left tackle, a position they’ve tried to upgrade in each of the past two drafts. In 2023, they drafted Wanya Morris with the 92nd overall pick, and in 2024, they doubled down by drafting Kinglsey Suamataia with the 63rd overall pick.
Neither player has turned into the stalwart left tackle they probably envisioned, but they are still wildly inexperienced, only having started a combined 13 games over the past one and a half seasons.
Morris has been the better option, but he has dealt with lingering knee issus throughout this season and missed a portion of the Chiefs Week 10 victory over the Denver Broncos. When Suamataia subbed into replace Morris, he was consistently getting beat around the edge, even when the Chiefs used a running back or tight end to help him with a chip block.
The Chiefs allowed four sacks against the Broncos and it could have been five, if not for an illegal contact penalty that negated another sack from Broncos linebacker Nik Bonitto.
When the Bills signed Von Miller from free agency and drafted Greg Rousseau and A.J. Epenesa with their first picks in back-to-back drafts, their intention was getting to Patrick Mahomes. This Sunday, the Chiefs struggling left tackles, whether it be Morris or Suamataia, will give Buffalo’s pass rushers an opportunity to wreak havoc in the Chiefs backfield.
2. Cornerback
This seems like a bold take, considering the Chiefs have an All-Pro starting cornerback in Trent McDuffie, but the loss of L’Jarius Sneed to free agency and a handful of injuries, have moved McDuffie, primarilty a slot defender, to the boundary — and made way for Nazeeh Johnson, a former 7th-round draft pick, to start alongside him.
McDuffie, standing at 5’11”, 193 pounds, struggled against the much bigger Broncos receiver Courtland Sutton on Sunday. On nine targets, Sutton hauled in six receptions for 70 yards and a 32-yard touchdown against man coverage from McDuffie.
And his stat-line could have looked even better, if not for a couple of drops.
Johnson, originally drafted as a safety and standing at 5’10”, 199 pounds, is set to make just the third start of his career on Sunday in Buffalo.
Unfortunately, the Bills are missing their own physical receiver in Keon Coleman, but if Amari Cooper is able to play, he could pose some problems for the Chiefs defensive backs.
In last year’s playoff game between these teams, Bills quarterback Josh Allen threw for just 186 passing yards on 39 attempts.
With the Bills facing a solid run defense, Allen will have to be sharp and the best route to doing so, might be through attacking the Chiefs outside cornerbacks.
