Week 1: Bills vs. Chiefs
at
Sunday, Sept. 11th
1:00pm ET
There is nothing like the excitement of the beginning of another NFL season. The enthusiasm surrounding the Bills is tempered by the fact that not too much is expected from this team. They are smack in the middle of a rebuilding mode that took 10 years to get going. The Chiefs are defending AFC West champions and are looking to build on a solid season last year.

FACTS AND FIGURES

Matchup: Buffalo (0-0) vs. Kansas City (0-0)
Place: Arrowhead Stadium
TV/Radio: Network: CBS; DirecTV: 708; Sirius: 117
Announcers: Marv Albert and Rich Gannon
Spread: Chiefs by 5½
Series: Bills lead 21-17-1 (Bills 2-1 in playoffs)
Streak: Chiefs Won 1
Last Meeting: Chiefs 13-10 in OT in Kansas City (2010)
Chiefs Offense (2010): Rush (1st); Pass (30th); overall (12th)
Chiefs Defense (2010): Rush (14th); Pass (17th); overall (14th)
Bills Offense (2010): Rush (18th); Pass (24th); overall (25th)
Bills Defense (2010): Rush (32nd); Pass (3rd); overall (24th)


INJURY UPDATE

The Bills enter the season pretty healthy. Arthur Moats is the lone player likely to miss the game. He suffered a calf injury in preseason and will miss the first few weeks of the season. Torell Troup suffered a back injury in practice on Wednesday.

The Chiefs big injury concern is QB Matt Cassel. He suffered a rib injury in their preseason finale and will likely play but could be bothered by the injury and will likely have to play through some pain. Their starting TE Tony Moeaki is on injured reserve and is out for the year. WR Jonathan Baldwin is banged up but should play.

Check out our Bills Daily Injury Page throughout the week for the latest updates on the injured players.

KEY MATCHUPS

DE Marcell Dareus vs. RB Jamaal Charles:
Dareus will not be alone in trying to stop stud running back Charles but all eyes will be on the rookie. If the Bills are going to do better against the run it will start with the third overall pick in the draft.

CB Terrence McGee vs. WR Dwayne Bowe:
McGee is healthy after being banged up most of last season and gets a good test against Bowe who led the team in receptions and yards last year. He is the number one go to target for the Chiefs passing game.

LB Shawne Merriman vs. LT Branden Albert:
All eyes will be on Merriman as everyone helps he will stay healthy. If he does, then he will be a force to be reckoned with. Albert is from Rochester and is entering his fourth season as a starter in Kansas City and should be up for the challenge.

LT Demetrius Bell vs. LB Tamba Hali:
Bell barely held on to his starting job in the preseason and faces an enormous challenge week one. Hali had 14½ sacks rushing from the linebacker position in the Chiefs 3-4 defense. The Bills will need to give Bell help with Hali all day long.

C Eric Wood vs. DT Kelly Gregg:
Wood makes the move to center permanent and goes against a wily veteran in the middle of a 3-4 defense. Gregg comes over from Baltimore and is considered a missing piece in the Chiefs defense. If he clogs things up than the Bills will struggle to get anything going on the ground.

WR Stevie Johnson vs. CB Brandon Flowers:
Johnson gets his first start as the number one receiver and will draw the top Chiefs corner. Flowers is developing into one of the best in his fourth season. He has nine interceptions in his first three years in the league.

GAME PLAN

When The Bills Have The Ball: Look for the Bills to attack the Chiefs through the air to take advantage of their secondary that struggled mightily last year. They will likely run a myriad of formations including many three and four receiver sets to confuse the Chiefs defense.

When The Chiefs Have The Ball: They will run early and often as they bring last year's top running team to go against last year's worst run defense. It is a new year though, and the Bills should be improved against the run but it will be tough to slow down the Chiefs running game.

BILLS DAILY PREDICTION

The Bills should be ready to play and if for some reason Cassel can't go then the Bills will have a shot at winning the game. The bottom line is Charles will be the best player on the field and he will likely lead Kansas City to victory in front a very raucous home crowd:
Chiefs 17, Bills 13

Season Prediction Record: (0-0)
Season Record Against The Spread: (0-0)

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