The Kansas City Chiefs will square off with Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills on the road in Week 9.
The Chiefs have won five of their last six games and the offense has been pretty much unstoppable since getting star receiver Rashee Rice back in the lineup.
Rice has caught 16 of 19 targets for 135 yards and three touchdowns in two games since coming off his suspension that sidelined him for six weeks.
Rice and star tight end Travis Kelce thrive in the middle of the field, and no other quarterback throws through the middle of the field than Mahomes. However, Head Coach Andy Reid may need to alter his gameplan against a Bills defense that takes the middle of the field away.
“No team likes to pass more than the Chiefs, and almost no team likes to pass in the middle of the field more than them,” ESPN’s Seth Walder wrote Saturday. “Fifty-six percent of their targets land between the numbers, second highest in the league. But that could be an issue against Buffalo's defense, which allows the third-lowest target rate to the middle of the field (43%).
“So what does that mean for Kansas City's offense? Instead of relying on Travis Kelce and Rashee Rice's strengths in the middle of the field, this could be determined by Xavier Worthy's ability on the outside and/or deep. Production from running backs Kareem Hunt and Brashard Smith could be crucial, too. Starting running back Isiah Pacheco is not expected to play after spraining a knee ligament last week.”
Mahomes has had to rely on his legs a lot more than he and Coach Reid would prefer, but Mahomes is known for being a playmaker on the run and it adds another element to the Kansas City offense.
The Bills will do everything they can to keep Mahomes in the pocket and make him throw under pressure. Mahomes will turn the ball over sometimes, but the two-time Most Valuable Player has only thrown four interceptions to 17 touchdowns and has four rushing touchdowns as well, so Buffalo needs to make him uncomfortable.
But even if the Bills can manage to keep Mahomes in check, Coach Reid knows how to scheme anybody open. With all the weapons at his disposal, expect Mahomes to still have a quality game.
I expect this game to be the matchup of the week, with the Bills hungry to keep their regular season success against the Chiefs going.