Winners and Losers from the KC Chiefs' Week 11 Defeat vs. Buffalo Bills

In the Kansas City Chiefs' Week 11 loss to the Buffalo Bills, multiple players stood out for good and bad reasons alike.

Nov 17, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Kansas City Chiefs tight end Noah Gray (83) makes a catch for a touchdown against the Buffalo Bills during the second half at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images / Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

The Kansas City Chiefs are officially no longer undefeated, as Andy Reid's team dropped a tough contest to a very good Buffalo Bills squad in Week 11.

After keeping it close in the first half and crawling back into the game in the fourth quarter, Kansas City simply couldn't do enough to slow down Josh Allen and company on Sunday. In the 30-21 loss, the reigning Super Bowl champs looked vulnerable but flashed some good at the same time. While still in control of their own destiny, this defeat will force them to look in the mirror.

With that in mind, let's point out some of the Chiefs' biggest winners and losers from the 11th week of the regular season.

WINNER: Noah Gray

The Kansas City offense certainly had some rough moments on Sunday, but that doesn't apply to tight end Noah Gray. The fourth-year man's career year continued in Orchard Park, seeing him haul in four passes for 23 yards and a pair of scores. Gray's 14-yard reception on a screen pass helped keep a second-quarter scoring drive alive. Gray, who's made an increased impact since signing a contract extension with the team, now has a two-touchdown outing on his resume. The former Day 3 draft pick typically won't stuff the stat sheet in a major way, yet he did on Sunday and his receptions always seem to make a difference.

LOSER: Nazeeh Johnson

For the second game in a row, cornerback Nazeeh Johnson led the Chiefs in tackles but left folks wondering about his effectiveness in coverage. The third-year man gave up a pair of chunk plays to Amari Cooper in the first half, also struggling to keep up with Curtis Samuel on a later touchdown. Additionally, Johnson was taking far too much depth in coverage and got exposed twice in the second half because of it. That, combined with a missed tackle that ultimately got cleaned up by someone else, made for a very disappointing performance. Kansas City seems fine with the quality of play Johnson has had as of late, but Sunday's level won't cut it.

WINNER: Xavier Worthy (sort of)

Multiple things can be true in regards to Xavier Worthy. On one hand, the 2024 first-round NFL Draft pick had his most impactful game in several weeks by hauling in four passes for 61 yards and a touchdown. His 31-yard reception in the first quarter, in particular, was excellent. On the other hand, he didn't do anything in the second half and wiped away a big play because, yet again, he couldn't complete a catch with both feet in bounds. Kansas City's development arc with Worthy seems to be anything but linear, regardless of the sample size. He'll face a pair of bad defenses in a row moving forward, so perhaps he can continue to build on what he did in Week 11.

LOSER: Chamarri Conner

Full transparency here: I struggled to decide whether to list Chamarri Conner because of his interception. Taking that out of the picture, though, it's easy to see how bad of a game the second-year safety had. A pair of ugly missed tackles – one on a 15-yard gain to Samuel in third down in the opening quarter and another against Khalil Shakir late – stand out. Add in a defensive pass interference on a third-quarter deep ball, and the result is a mixed bag of an afternoon from a mixed bag of a player. The longer the season goes on, the more whiplash Conner seems to provide with his performance.

WINNERS: Peyton Hendershot and Spencer Shrader

In a game the Chiefs lost, minor role players get shoutouts as winners. Hendershot, who was acquired near August's roster cutdown deadline and has been on uneven footing ever since, did exactly what he was asked on Sunday. The veteran tight end made a huge special teams tackle and also hauled in a difficult catch on offense. Shrader didn't attempt a field goal in his first game as Harrison Butker's temporary replacement, but he converted on every extra point try. Neither of these players swung the outcome of Week 11's game, yet they deserve props for only contributing in positive ways in their respective roles.

LOSERS: Travis Kelce and JuJu Smith-Schuster

Travis Kelce turned back the clock once wideout Rashee Rice went down, going for at least eight catches or 60 yards in five of his last six games. In each of his last three games coming into Week 11, he had double-digit targets. Sunday, however, saw him finish as tight end No. 3 in yards on his own team. In JuJu Smith-Schuster's first game back, he made one catch (albeit a good one) and that was it. In a game the Chiefs were already down weapons for, it's shocking that two of their more reliable pass catchers didn't do much statistically.

Read More: Patrick Mahomes on Chiefs No Longer Being Undefeated, Hoping Bills Loss Is a ‘Spark'