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Buffalo Bills Links, 10/21: Final thoughts from Chiefs loss

Plus, why the running game has completely disappeared.

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In today’s edition of the Buffalo Bills daily links, we offer up final thoughts from Buffalo’s 26-17 loss to the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs in Week 6.

We review positional grades, assess what went right (defensive tackle Justin Zimmer and defensive end Mario Addison were among the few bright spots on defense, wide receivers Stefon Diggs and Cole Beasley continue to produce, and Buffalo contained talented Kansas City wide receiver Tyreek Hill) and all the things that went wrong (the run defense was run over, Buffalo’s running game could not get on track, quarterback Josh Allen misfired too many times, linebacker Tremaine Edmunds took too many bad angles in pursuit, and the third-down defense was atrocious) as Buffalo (4-2) dropped its second straight primetime contest.

We also examine whether opposing defenses are playing Allen differently, see how far the Bills plummeted in the power rankings, explore the role Zimmer could play along the defensive line, offer up reasons why general manager Brandon Beane should trade for New York Giants defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson, and much more!


Bills report card: Defense in crisis mode after loss to Chiefs: Democrat & Chronicle
Sal Maiorana grades the Bills after their loss to the Chiefs on Monday.

Position grades: Chiefs’ Chris Jones, Bills’ Ed Oliver were opposites at DT | Buffalo Bills News | NFL | buffalonews.com
Here’s a position-by-position grading of the Bills, based on video review and on a scale of 0 to 5.

Sean McDermott’s questionable lineup decisions and other final Bills thoughts – The Athletic
The Bills could have turned to Murphy and Phillips when the Chiefs decided to go with a run-heavy approach, but they were inactive. (Subscription required).

Arrow Up/Arrow Down - Chiefs at Bills - WGR 550
What was good and what was bad for the Buffalo Bills?

Justin Zimmer shines, Bills have no answer for Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Chiefs offense (4 reasons to be encouraged, 6 reasons to worry) - newyorkupstate.com
The Bills’ game plan to slow down Patrick Mahomes worked to a certain extent, but the defense had no answer for Kansas City’s run game.

Struggles by Bills, Josh Allen against AFC elite cause for concern - Buffalo Bills Blog- ESPN
Buffalo, once 4-0, was pushed around for the second straight week, and its young QB finished with just 122 passing yards against the Chiefs.

Analysis: Josh Allen misfires, offensive line struggles keep offense from pulling weight | Buffalo Bills News | NFL | buffalonews.com
“We’ve got to sustain drives, we got to get first downs, we got to put ourselves in better third-and-manageable situations,” Allen said.

Jim Kubiak: Bills’ Josh Allen’s ‘bad misses,’ protection errors are undoing vs. Chiefs | Buffalo Bills News | NFL | buffalonews.com
Allen completed 14 of 27 attempts for 122 yards, threw two touchdowns and one interception, and struggled to find his rhythm against the Chiefs.

Bills Today | Are defenses playing Josh Allen different than the first four weeks? - BuffaloBills.com
Here are three things to know about the Bills for Wednesday, Oct. 21.

The Chiefs bullied the Bills: 10 Things I Think I Think - Buffalo Fanatics - Buffalo Bills
The Bills’ run defense is porous while the offense stalled for the second straight week.

‘Shine is coming off Josh Allen, Bills’ (Week 7 power rankings) - newyorkupstate.com
After dropping two straight games, the Bills are tumbling down NFL power rankings.

Devin Singletary, Sean McDermott + others address the rushing attack - BuffaloBills.com
Notes from media session with head coach Sean McDermott, offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, and defensive coordinator/assistant head coach Leslie Frazier.

Maiorana: Andy Reid outcoached Sean McDermott - Democrat & Chronicle
Andy Reid schooled Sean McDermott as Bills flopped against another quality team.

Eric Wood | 5 opinions on Buffalo’s second straight loss - BuffaloBills.com
Run defense and passing game consistency will bode well for the Bills moving forward.

Upon further review: Devin Singletary, Bills’ running game have disappeared | Buffalo Bills News | NFL | buffalonews.com
“We can’t just let this snowball. We’ve got to get back to the basics, get back to ourselves,” Singletary says.

What we learned from snap counts in Bills’ Week 6 loss, game ball and more | Buffalo Bills News | NFL | buffalonews.com
Jay Skurski offers five takeaways from the Bills’ snap counts against the Chiefs.

It’s time to vent about the Buffalo Bills - WGR 550
Nate Geary gets a lot off his chest following the Bills’ 26-17 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Buffalo Bills 2020 Vision: Is Justin Zimmer the Next Star Lotulelei? - Buffalo Fanatics - Buffalo Bills
At this point in the season, Zimmer is arguably one of the better defensive linemen on the roster.

Giants' Dalvin Tomlinson: Bills should acquire DT for these reasons - newyorkupstate.com
Trading for Dalvin Tomlinson makes too much sense for the Bills.

Cody Ford, Cam Lewis, Tyrel Dodson all week-to-week - WGR 550
McDermott updated the media on injuries to several players Tuesday, and said that cornerback Cam Lewis (wrist), guard Cody Ford (knee), and linebacker Tyrel Dodson (hamstring) are all week-to-week.

Bills’s Cody Ford, Cam Lewis and Tyrel Dodson considered week to week | Buffalo Bills News | NFL | buffalonews.com
Linebacker Matt Milano did not play against the Chiefs, and wide receiver John Brown was hobbled.

Five takeaways from Tuesday’s Bills press conferences | Buffalo Bills News | NFL | buffalonews.com
Through six games, the Bills rank 30th in the NFL in third-down defense—allowing first downs 53.5% of the time.

What fans need to know + predictions for Bills at Jets | Week 7 - BuffaloBills.com
Here’s everything you need to know before the Buffalo Bills take on the New York Jets in Week 7 of the 2020 NFL season.

NFL MVP watch 2020 - Can anyone catch Russell Wilson? Is Josh Allen still a legitimate contender? ESPN.com
Russell Wilson’s 19 passing touchdowns through five games have him in the early lead, but the MVP race is far from over. Who else is getting consideration?

Former Bills TE Reuben Gant works to turn racial division of past into hopeful future | Buffalo Bills News | NFL | buffalonews.com
“We have this mantra that we have adopted: ‘From tragedy to triumph,’ ” Gant says.

Ken Rice, Bills’ No. 1 overall pick in 1961 AFL draft, dies at age 81 | Buffalo Bills News | NFL | buffalonews.com
The 240-lb lineman was a second-team All-AFL pick as a rookie and played in the All-Star game.

Featured on Buffalo Rumblings

Opinion: Andy Reid ran the ball down the throat of the Buffalo Bills’ defense - Buffalo Rumblings
Andy Reid knew it and used it.

One Stat Recap: Buffalo Bills’ offense flounders in the rain - Buffalo Rumblings
The team comes up short in a spotlight game once again.

Circling the Wagons: Bills lose to Chiefs 26-17 to go 4-2 - Buffalo Rumblings
Let’s recap this game and bring some levity!

Q&A: defensive fixes and takeaways - Buffalo Rumblings
After the loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, the questions and answers took a turn for the negative as we go into fixing the defensive line, what’s wrong with the Buffalo Bills, and more.

Buffalo Bills snaps counts vs. Kansas City: Disappointment during dinner - Buffalo Rumblings
The oddly scheduled game wasn’t a success for the Bills. Let’s see who contributed and how much.

Buffalo Bills tumble in Week 7 NFL power rankings - Buffalo Rumblings
After two tough losses in six days, the Bills are falling in the rankings.

If Buffalo Bills are looking at DT, they should target New York Giants’ Dalvin Tomlinson - Buffalo Rumblings
The New York Giants are 1-5 and are potential sellers at the NFL’s trade deadline.

Buffalo Bills OL Cody Ford “week to week” after leaving game against Kansas City Chiefs - Buffalo Rumblings
Not great.

Injury update: Cam Lewis, Tyrel Dodson week to week - Buffalo Rumblings
More Bills injuries.

AFC East Roundup: Stock up, Stock down - Buffalo Rumblings
Who’s trending up...who’s down in the division?