There are a lot of Arrows to get to after the Buffalo Bills' big 38-20 victory over the two-time defending AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs.
Let's get to them now, and for the fourth week in-a-row, we get to start with those pointing up.
ARROW UP:
Leslie Frazier
The Bills defensive coordinator had a terrific game plan, stuck to it, and his players executed it perfectly.
The Bills defense didn’t blitz once the entire game. Instead they blanketed the field with defenders and got enough of a pass rush with four players to disrupt Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, while simultaneously stopping the run.
Josh Allen
The Bills quarterback didn’t complete a lot of passes, but he made each one count. The fourth-year quarterback connected on 15-of-25 pass attempts for 315 yards and three touchdowns. That’s an astounding 21.0 yards per-completion and over 12 yards per-attempt.
Allen's touchdown to tight end Dawson Knox was sensational and the type of play very few quarterbacks can make.
Allen was also the Bills' leading rusher, running for 59 yards, averaging 5.4 yards per-carry, and scoring a touchdown. In total offense, Allen accounted for 374 yards and four touchdowns.
Dawson Knox
Knox continues to not only be consistent catching the football, but seems to make highlight-reel catches every week, doing again in this one. He finished as the game’s leading receiver with three catches for 117 yards and a touchdown. He averaged 39.0 yards per-reception.
Greg Rousseau
The rookie defensive end was all over the field, collecting his first career interception to go along with five total tackles, including one for a loss, a sack, a quarterback hurry, and a pass breakup.
Taron Johnson
Fresh off his new three-year contract extension, the Bills' slot cornerback led all players in the game with 12 total tackles and added a pass breakup.
Emmanuel Sanders
The veteran wide receiver has been an invaluable added piece to the offense, both on and off the field, and scored a pair of touchdowns on three catches for 54 yards.
Tremaine Edmunds and A.J. Klein
The Bills linebackers were rock-solid all night, both in run support and pass coverage. They combined to finish with 17 total tackles, including one for a loss, and a pass breakup.
Klein was filling in for the injured Matt Milano and the Bills didn’t miss a beat.
Micah Hyde pick-six
In order to beat the Chiefs, you have to make some big plays along the way. Hyde did just that by returning an interception 26 yards for a touchdown, putting the Bills up by 18 points in the second half, and essentially putting the game away.
Offensive line
The entire starting-five on the offensive line played every snap. Dion Dawkins, Jon Feliciano, Mitch Morse, Daryl Williams, and Spencer Brown stayed on the field for every play. There was no rotating, as we’ve seen a bit of this year, and they played really well. Zero sacks given up. 436 yards of offense and 8.1 yards per-play.
Siran Neal
The backup defensive back played 33 of 86 possible snaps (38%) and was solid in coverage, as the defense played more dime coverage (six defensive backs) than usual.
Justin Zimmer
Zimmer didn’t have a tremendous stat line, collecting one tackle and two quarterback hurries, but once again his motor was running all night long, allowing his presence to make an impact.
8.1 yards per-offensive play
It was only the eighth time in franchise history the Bills averaged over 8.0 yards per-play (8.1).
Giveaways/takeaways
The Bills forced four turnovers (two interceptions, two fumble recoveries) and did not turn the ball over at all. A huge difference in the game.
Red zone defense
The Chiefs only scored twice on five trips (40%) inside the Bills' red zone.
ARROW DOWN:
Officiating
There were some brutal calls in this game. Calls that never should have been made that really impacted the flow to start and negated big plays for both clubs later. The officials were putting on a show instead of letting the players do it.
Penalties
With that said, the Bills were called for 10 penalties for 103 yards. Some poor calls or not, that’s far too many.
One punt, one kickoff
Matt Haack had a 35-yard punt that gave the Chiefs the ball at their own 48-yard line. Tyler Bass kicked a kickoff out of bounds, giving Kansas City the ball at its own 40.
Third quarter offense
The Bills had three offensive series in the third quarter. They totaled 10 plays and 41 yards. They punted all three times. Their only score in that quarter was by the defense.
My sleep
A late game and a long lightning delay. It’s 4:06 a.m. ET as I type this. I need to sleep. Thanks for reading.
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