The Kansas City Chiefs now know where they'll be spending their Thanksgiving as a visit to Buffalo looms.
The NFL changed the Thanksgiving football dessert menu for millions of potential viewers, adding a marquee game to the evening window as the Kansas City Chiefs will hit the road to play the Buffalo Bills. The schedule teaser was reported by Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk via NFL reporter Jordan Schultz.
The big attraction here is the quarterback battle, of course. Patrick Mahomes vs. Josh Allen has been a feature event for several years now, and the talk will be about Buffalo’s 5-1 regular season record against the Chiefs while being unable to break through and beat Kansas City in the playoffs.
There will be a different spin to the QB situation this time around, though. Mahomes is rehabbing from a serious knee injury that sent the Chiefs spiraling downward to a 6-11 record, while the Bills have fired longtime coach Sean McDermott and promoted offensive coordinator Joe Brady. The hope is that Brady can somehow get Allen over the top against Mahomes in the postseason if they meet again early in 2027.
Mahomes will probably be healthy by then, but the Chiefs offense may have a different flavor, too. Kansas City signed running back Kenneth Walker III in free agency with the idea that they can actually have a real running game this season. It will be interesting to see how mobile Mahomes is when this one rolls around, not to mention how well Kansas City’s revamped defense is holding up as the Chiefs try to reclaim the top spot in the AFC West.
Buffalo is also trying to reclaim the top spot in its division. The Bill were beaten out last season by the surprising New England Patriots, which proved costly when the Bills had to hit the road for the playoffs.
They were able to survive a visit to Florida and beat the Jacksonville Jaguars in the first round of the playoffs, but the Bills were beaten by the Denver Broncos in their second playoff road tilt, so getting the best record in the AFC will also be an important goal.
The Bills will also be featuring a new stadium this year as they open Highmark Stadium. Both teams have high expectations, and it will be interesting to see how this game compares to the rest of the NFL’s Thanksgiving lineup, which will also probably be leaked in advance of the full schedule release. It’s one of the league’s biggest weekends, so there will be plenty of football on the menu.