The Skinny:
It was the Sammy Show early but Alex Smith became the second coming of Tom Brady throwing the deep ball effortlessly in leading the Chiefs to a come from behind 30-22 victory over the Bills. It was the combination of Tyrod Taylor and Sammy Watkins in the first half that allowed the Bills to jump out to a 16-7 lead in the 2nd quarter before the wheels fell off. Taylor threw for 236 yard in the first half finding Watkins six times in nine targets for 158 yards and two touchdowns. Smith had his own hot receiver in Jeremy Maclin who had two long pass plays, one for a score and one was incomplete but the Bills didn't challenge the wrong call on the field. That setup the first Chiefs touchdown. The Bills had too many blunders for an important road game including LeSean McCoy and Taylor both losing fumbles and Dan Carpenter missing an extra point while Rex Ryan completely mishandled the use of challenges failing on two of them and not challenging two plays he should have. The Chiefs scored 17 unanswered points to capture a 24-16 lead in the third quarter. McCoy caught a touchdown pass from Taylor but the Bills were chasing the missed extra point and failed on a 2 point conversion attempt. The Chiefs would drive down for two fourth quarter field goals while keeping the Bills in check the rest of the way for the victory.
The Turning Point:
Pass Interference On Robey: It is really hard to play defensive back in the NFL. For the second time this year Nickell Robey was called for a horrible pass interference penalty that cost the Bills 25 yards of field position when they were up 16-7. The flag came down a good five seconds after the play and he had barely grazed the receiver. Smith hit Maclin on the next play for a 41 yard touchdown to pull the Chiefs within 2 and they controlled the game from there.
The Turning Point II:
Darby Drop: The Bills had scored to pull back within two points at 24-22 when the Chiefs responded with a drive of their own. Ronald Darby could have ended the drive and helped the Bills take the game over with an easy pick six but he dropped the ball.
The Big Drive:
Chiefs First 3rd Quarter Drive: The Chiefs took the opening kickoff of the second half and went 64 yards in just six plays to take the lead for the first time all game and they wouldn't relinquish it. The drive took just 3:45 and ended with a 15 yard touchdown pass to Travis Kelce who beat Darby for the score. The big play on the drive was a 32 yard pass to Maclin who beat Stephon Gilmore on the play.
Stat I Did Like:
296 First Half Yards: The most by a Bills offense since 1998.
Stat I Didn't Like:
Penalties: They lost 91 yards on nine more penalties.
Scene Setters: - It was the worst weather game of the season for the Bills. Rainy and cold conditions had officials leave the tarp on the field longer than usual causing some players to loosen up in the tunnel area. There were plenty of empty seats at the start of the game with the Bills on offense in front of a non rowdy crowd. -Jerry Hughes tweeted that their bus broke down on the way to the stadium. He was on the first bus and arrived at the stadium afterwards without any issues after the driver shifted into "manual" and went real slow the rest of the way. - This was the eight straight year the Bills played the Chiefs which is very unusual for teams in different divisions. - Rex Ryan had Corbin Bryant, Stefan Charles, Randell Johnson, Nickell Robey, and LeSean McCoy as his captains today.
Key Matchup Results:
The winners of the battles highlighted in our preview article: RB LeSean McCoy vs. LB Derrick Johnson: Winner: McCoy. He had a solid game but Johnson did breakup a pass for McCoy in the end zone. WR Sammy Watkins vs. CB Marcus Peters: Winner: Watkins. He had a huge first half but went mostly against Sean Smith instead of Peters. DB Corey Graham vs. TE Travis Kelce: Winner: Kelce. Had a touchdown and made plays down the stretch. DE Jerry Hughes vs. LT Eric Fisher: Winner: Fisher. Really it was Hughes who didn't win. Fisher missed most of the game with an injury but Hughes didn't do much at all. He had one pressure but two penalties.
Keys To The Game Results:
How the keys highlighted in our preview article turned out: 1. Don't Be Over Aggressive On Defense: Success! But they weren't aggressive enough. They rarely blitzed which allowed big plays downfield but they didn't allow screens to kill them too bad until near the end of the game. Smith did have some room to scramble. 2. Get Taylor In Space: Failure! He didn't run too often and pretty much stayed in the pocket. 3. Win The Special Teams Battle: Failure! Carpenter's missed field goal hurt a lot and they did allow a few decent kick returns. Ron Brooks had a holding penalty late in the game on a kick return.
My Take:
Every year it seems there is a game in November that they have to win to keep their playoff hopes realistic, despite having a mediocre record. Every year they seem to come up woefully short in those games. That game this year was today and the Bills found another way to lose a big game. They got off to a hot start and then just collapsed. The offense stopped making plays and the defense was terrible. When they needed to make a play they couldn't. The Chiefs took over at their own 11 in the 4th quarter and easily marched the ball down the "vaunted" defense's throats. It now appears we are once again headed to the final turn of the NFL season without much too play for. The more things change the more they stay the same for all us tortured Bills fans.
What's Ahead:
The Bills finally head back home after losing two of three on their road trip. They face another team they are battling with for a playoff spot as the red hot Texans come to town. A loss next week will put an exclamation point on the death of this season for the Bills.
Gameballs
Sammy Watkins - He had six catches for 158 yards unfortunately they were all in the first half.
Goats
Ronald Darby - He was beaten for a long score and missed an easy pick six.
Jerry Hughes - He had two more penalties including another personal foul for roughing the passer.
Player Of The Week
Sammy Watkins - Had a career half along with two touchdowns that gave the Bills hope in the first half.
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Positional Breakdown and Grades
