The rumor mill has the Kansas City Chiefs shopping for defensive linemen as the trade deadline approaches, and this week the Chiefs’ defensive line will get a stiff test against the Buffalo Bills  as they face the formidable rushing combo of running back James Cook III and quarterback Josh Allen. 

Allen gets most of the publicity for his bone-crushing jaunts, but it’s really Cook the Chiefs should be worried about. He often plays in Allen’s shadow, but he also picks up the slack and makes the offense go when the Bills rely too much on Allen’s big-play capability. 

Last week’s 40-9 blowout win against the Carolina Panthers was a perfect example of this. The Bills were coming off back-to-back losses against the New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons, and the offense often looked sluggish and stodgy. 

The obvious conclusion drawn by most “experts” was that Allen didn’t trust his receivers, but it really wasn’t about that at all. Cook had somehow become the forgotten man, and when the Bills used him extensively against Carolina he responded in a big way with 216 yards on just 19 carries to go with a pair of touchdowns. 

The Chiefs won’t be able to focus exclusively on Cook, though. Allen is still a weapon on the ground with 261 yards and a 5.3 yards per carry average for the season, but he’s starting to run less with each passing season. He often uses his running potential as a rope-a-dope tactic these days, luring in defenders as he approaches the line of scrimmage so he can launch a big-play dart down the field. 

The Chiefs will have their hands full with this, mostly because every team does. The Chiefs have plenty of rotational bodies on the defensive line, including linemen George Karlaftis and Charles Omenihu, and they recently re-added Mike Pennel to their defensive line after cutting him in training camp. 

The big problem at the moment is that star defensive tackle Chris Jones is playing too many snaps, and the Chiefs need him fresh to make big plays. Hence the trade rumors, but the Chiefs will have to go with what they have in Buffalo on Sunday. Allen can wear out rotational linemen in a hurry, which often sets the stage for Cook to run wild. 

It’s going to be a tough challenge, but the good news is that the Chiefs offense is back in a big way, so they're primed to win a shootout if this game turns into one. It’s going to be one of the more fun and intriguing matchups in the NFL as the season passes the halfway mark, and how the Chiefs defensive line responds to the Buffalo running game will be one of several fascinating storylines.