5 keys to victory in Bills' pivotal Week 11 bout vs. Chiefs

Here are five keys for the Buffalo Bills to keep their winning ways going in their Week 11 AFC showdown with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

This article was produced in conjunction with Cover 1, a leading voice in making the intricacies of Buffalo Bills football digestible. Be sure to subscribe to their YouTube channel and podcast feeds.

---

The Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs play a pivotal regular season game on Sunday, with the back-to-back Super Bowl champions coming to Orchard Park for the first time in-season since 2020. This matchup could very well be a preview of an AFC Divisional Round or Conference Championship game, as these two teams have met in three of the last four postseasons. With that, here are five keys to Buffalo extending its winning streak to six games at home this Sunday at 4:25 PM.

Adjustments

Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

Bills head coach Sean McDermott and Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo are two of the best defensive minds in football. That is evidenced by how well their units play in the second half. Entering Week 11, the Bills are third in second-half points allowed at 7.2 per game. Kansas City is one spot back with 7.4 points per game allowed in the second half. Both squads give up less than five points per fourth quarter; coming out of the half and winning the third quarter could tilt this game one way or the other.

Related: Chiefs vs. Bills NFL Week 11 Preview: Round No. 8

Third Down

Denny Medley-Imagn Images

No team is better at converting third downs than the Chiefs. They are successful on 52% of their third down attempts. That number has been even better over the last three games, capitalizing on 62% of their attempts. Getting Kansas City off the field and giving the ball back to Josh Allen is always a good idea. Side note: the Chiefs like to pass on third, so be ready for that. They have run five times on third and two-to-five yards. They have thrown 38 times, per NFL's Stats and Information site. That seems insane. Patrick Mahomes to Travis Kelce is a cheat code on third down.

Chris Jones

Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Football fans know how dominant of a defender Chris Jones is, but his numbers do an effective job of illustrating just how game-altering he is. He ranks first in ESPN's defensive tackle pass rush win rate, winning on 21 of 109 attempts (19%); on one in every five pass rush sets, Jones directly impacts your quarterback's ability to be successful. It's generally wise to avoid PFF grades, but for this key, I want to point out that he has the best pass rush grade at 90.8. That's over three points ahead of the second-place player. Whatever you have to do to slow Jones down is a good idea.

Make the Kick

Denny Medley-Imagn Images

If Denver simply did this in Week 10, the Chiefs would be coming off their first loss of the season. Instead, Kansas City blocked a game-winning field goal attempt to remain unblemished. Credit goes to Kansas City's special teams unit. Entering Sunday, opponents are making just over 75% of their field goal attempts versus the Chiefs. That is the fifth-worst percentage against in the league. No pressure, Tyler Bass.

Hit Mahomes

Denny Medley-Imagn Images

No, I am not saying to be dirty. However, I am saying to play through the whistle and utilize all 100 yards by 53.3 yards of the football field to get some bumps and bruises on Mahomes. He has become a master of looking like he is going out of bounds to only scurry for a few more costly yards. It's happened more than once this season that a Chiefs' opponent was worried about the unnecessary roughness call and did not hinder Mahomes when it was well within the field of play to do so.

Related: 5 biggest storylines to watch in Bills' Week 11 clash with Chiefs

Bonus

Jamie Germano / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Josh Allen wasn't mentioned in the above five keys, but let's be honest, No. 17 is always not just a key to victory for the Bills, but oftentimes THE key to victory for the Bills. Allen continuing to play within himself and making the spectacular plays when needed could very well usurp everything else written above.

— Enjoy free coverage of the Bills from Buffalo Bills on SI —

More Buffalo Bills News:

• Amari Cooper comments on whether he expects to play vs. Chiefs

• Rob Gronkowski was 'kind of close' to playing for hometown Bills in 2021

• What Bills HC Sean McDermott said as All-Pro LB Matt Milano returns to practice

• Ryan Fitzpatrick offers to donate to charity of Bills RT’s choice after NFL fines him

• Star WR limited, key TE out of practice as Bills begin prep for Chiefs bout