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Week 10: Bills vs. Chiefs
The Bills come off the bye and hope for a fresh start in the season's second half. They feel they are still in the race, and for that reason they are staying the course with Kelly Holcomb at quarterback but doing some shuffling along the offensive line. The Chiefs are coming off an emotional, last second win against Oakland to help their chances at a division title. QB Trent Green played with a lot of emotion against the Raiders a week and a half after his father died. The question is, will the Chiefs suffer a letdown against a Bills team that is desperate to get off to a fast start to the second half.
FACTS AND FIGURES
| Matchup: |
Buffalo (3-5) vs. Kansas City (5-3) |
| Place: |
Ralph Wilson Stadium |
| Television: |
CBS |
| Announcers: |
Kevin Harlan and Randy Cross |
| Spread: |
Bills by 3 |
| Series: |
Bills lead 20-17-1 (Bills 2-1 in playoffs) |
| Last Meeting: |
Chiefs 38-5 in Kansas City (2003) |
| Chiefs Offense: |
Rush (7th); Pass (11th); overall (7th) |
| Chiefs Defense: |
Rush (8th); Pass (31st); overall (28th) |
| Bills Offense: |
Rush (8th); Pass (30th); overall (29th) |
| Bills Defense: |
Rush (31st); Pass (1st); overall (13th) |
INJURY UPDATE
The Bills should be rather healthy after the bye. Troy Vincent injured his shoulder against the Patriots but returned to the game and is practicing, so he should be ok. On the offensive line, the Bills have two injured ankles, Mike Williams and Greg Jerman did not play on offense against the Pats. Williams saw brief action on special teams and says he's ready to go this week. He will likely move to left guard. The team remains without Takeo Spikes and Ron Edwards who are on injured reserve. They will be joined this week on IR by Kevin Thomas who was on the PUP list.
The Chiefs will be without star RB Priest Holmes against the Bills. He has been placed on injured reserve with the after effects of a concussion and a spine problem. The Chiefs are ok with the emergence of Larry Johnson as a future star at the position. CB Eric Warfield was the only player that appeared banged up against Oakland. He suffered a hip pointer. OT Willie Roaf missed the Raiders game with a hamstring injury. The secondary is also banged up for KC. Patrick Surtain and Dexter McCleon both missed last week's game with knee and groin injuries respectively. S Jerome Woods was out with a hamstring injury and WR Sammie Parker missed the Oakland game with a knee injury.
 Bills Daily Injury Page
KEY MATCHUPS
RB Willis McGahee vs. LB Kawika Mitchell:
McGahee is having a solid season. Mitchell is the man in the middle for KC and will be the one to stop him, along with outside backer Derrick Johnson.
Coverage Units vs. KR Dante Hall:
The Bills have been rock solid in covering kickoffs but not so good covering punts since Brian Moorman out kicks his coverage at times. If he does that this week, Hall could break one.
RT Jason Peters vs. DE Eric Hicks:
Peters solid performance against the Pats gives him the starting job for now. He faces a wiley veteran in Hicks who can take the former undrafted free agent to school.
DE Aaron Schobel vs. LT Willie Roaf:
If Roaf can go it will be a tough matchup for Schobel who is red hot. If Roaf can't go, Schobel can have another big game.
LBs London Fletcher vs RB Larry Johnson:
Johnson is really developing into a star and now is the main man in Kansas City with Homes out. Fletcher will have to account for him on every play.
LT Mike Gandy vs. DE Jared Allen:
Gandy has been very inconsistent but will need a strong game to anchor a reshuffled offensive line. He goes against the Chiefs sack leader in Allen with 5 on the season.
GAME PLAN
When The Bills Have The Ball: The Bills don't matchup too well offensively with the Chiefs. The Chiefs defensive strength is stopping the run, that is also the Bills offensive strength. With two weeks to prepare, look for Tom Clements and Mike Mularkey to come up with some wrinkles in the gameplan to take advantage of a weak secondary. With a new look offensive line, the Bills will try to give Kelly Holcomb more time to throw. They will try to go downfield more in this game, then they have all season if the weather cooperates.
When The Chiefs Have The Ball: The Chiefs have a solid offensive unit that is balanced through the air and on the ground. Expect them to pound the ball on the ground with Johnson and dare the Bills to stop the ground game. Then they will take their downfield shots in the air, something the Bills pass defense has been burned by this season.
BILLS DAILY PREDICTION
The Bills do not matchup well with the Chiefs. Kansas City is coming off a very emotional win and this could be the classic letdown game for them. The Bills have had two weeks to prepare and are looking to build off of a solid performance in the loss to the Patriots. Buffalo is a different team at home, a better team. Look for them to find a way to pull this one out:
Bills 27, Chiefs 23
Season Prediction Record: (4-4)
Season Record Against The Spread: (3-5)
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