The Buffalo Bills face a huge test on Monday afternoon as the defending champions Kansas City Chiefs come to town. Both teams are coming off of their first loss of the season and are looking to get back on track. This will also mark the first meeting between Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes, which is drawing the attention of many. To preview this matchup we talked to Tom Childs from Arrowhead Pride to get the inside scoop on the team.
1) We saw the Raiders drop a lot of guys into coverage to stop Mahomes. Do you think this is the best way to control him?
Right now, I’d say so for sure. A combination of bad offensive line play and Mahomes bailing on clean pockets has meant that 4 man rushes are getting home a lot more frequently than we’ve been used to so far in Mahomes’ career.
The injury to Sammy Watkins hasn’t helped either. With him out of the second half against the Raiders, the back up receivers struggled to make up for Watkins absence. This didn’t help the offense either. It’s certainly something to keep an eye on Monday night.
2) What is one area you would like to see the team improve on as the season goes on?
It’s crazy that I’m complaining about an offense that has been regarded the best in the league for two and a half years, but I’d like to see the efficiency of the Mahomes Machine return to 2018 and 2019 form. Outside of the Ravens game things have seemed a little off so far. Hopefully they’ll figure somethings out soon...or in January.
3) Who is a player on the team having a great season but flying under the radar?
Rashard Fenton has been one of the more reliable defenders so far the season. With depth at cornerback appearing to be an issue the second-year cornerback has more than stepped up. Last year he say success as the slot corner but this year has has more responsibility on the boundary. Against the Raiders he was one of the few players that could have come out of the game with his head held high.
4) He can’t play on Monday but how will the addition of Le’Veon Bell help the offense?
I think it means that the Chiefs will have a quality receiving threat out of the backfield every single down. The preseason hype around Edwards-Helaire was based on his ability to run excellent routes and make receiver type catches. The only problem is that he hasn’t been seeing third downs because of protection issue. In those situations, we’ve seen Darrel Williams take the lead. With the addition of Bell, we can expect him to take those snaps off Williams and provide more than just solid pass protection.
5) Predictions for Monday?
I’m expecting a really fun game for the neutral. The Josh Allen experience is something that I’ve really enjoyed so far this year, whilst Patrick Mahomes almost always delivers.
It’ll be close but I think the Chiefs come out with a point to prove after last week.
Chiefs 33 Bills 30