Despite both teams coming off a loss, the Week 6 game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills will bring together two of the AFC’s best teams. The early betting odds list the Chiefs as three-point favorites on the road for Monday’s 5:00 P.M. Eastern game, which was initially scheduled for Thursday.
“Humbling” might be the best way to describe Buffalo’s loss to the Titans on Tuesday. The NFL is fortunate the game was played, although the Bills might not feel the same way. A 42-16 loss has put a little bit of a damper on Buffalo’s impressive 4-0 start.
Everything that could have gone wrong in the game for the Bills did go wrong. The good news is that the Bills still sit atop the AFC East with a semi-comfortable lead over the 2-2 New England Patriots.
As for the Chiefs, they are coming off a surprising loss to the rival Las Vegas Raiders. After Kansas City knocked off the Baltimore Ravens in convincing fashion in Week 3, it looked like the Chiefs might be unstoppable. But the Chiefs had an off day, at least defensively, allowing a 21-10 lead to dissolve, then failing to complete a comeback in the fourth quarter. The Raiders are now just a game behind Kansas City in the AFC West, although most would still consider the Chiefs to be the best team in the AFC.
Still the One
It’s going to take more than one loss to change the outlook for Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City offense. After all, it took Mahomes until his fifth game to throw his first interception of the season. He also has arguably the best set of receivers in football around him, with Travis Kelce leading the way.
Rookie running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire has gone from extra weapon to ex-factor. He’s yet to replicate his outstanding performance from Week 1, which means that everything depends on Mahomes, which has been the case for the last two years.
In theory, the Buffalo defense should pose a considerable challenge for the Chiefs. However, the Bills have failed to live up to the preseason hype or their performance last season. Buffalo was a bit exposed on Tuesday against the Titans, with the absence of key players due to injury as a factor in their struggles. If the Bills aren’t back to full strength, they could have difficulty keeping Mahomes and Company contained.
Bouncing Back
For Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen, Monday’s game is all about bouncing back from his first poor outing of the season. Allen was practically playing at an MVP level while the Bills started 4-0. However, he missed critical throws and threw a pair of picks against the Titans.
The Bills are also struggling to establish a consistent rushing attack. Of course, if Allen can put Tuesday’s game behind him quickly, the Buffalo offense should get back on track.
Meanwhile, the Kansas City defense is also in need of a bounce-back effort. The Chiefs were surprisingly solid on defense early in the year, only to get ripped apart by the Raiders last week. They gave up one big play after another, including a pair of long touchdown passes in the second quarter. However, that game could end up being an anomaly after the KC defense was so good at the start of the year.
Old Reliable
While the Bills present an obvious challenge for the Chiefs, Kansas City as a three-point favorite seems like a smart bet regardless of the opponent. Even if Allen can bounce back, he’ll still have trouble out-playing Mahomes, especially if the Buffalo defense is still missing key players.
Bet on the Chiefs to win and cover on Monday.
