Known for limiting big plays, the Kansas City Chiefs failed to live up to their reputation in Week 5. Can they get back on track for the Buffalo Bills?
The amount of obstacles the Kansas City Chiefs secondary has overcome this season is remarkable. Bashaud Breeland was suspended for the first four games. Charvarius Ward left the game early in Week 1 with a fractured hand. L’Jarius Sneed left the Week 3 game early with a collarbone injury. Yet, the secondary continued to put up good performances through the first four games of the season.
That was not the case in Week 5, as the defense allowed Derek Carr to throw for 347 yards and three touchdowns. The defense was not prepared for the Las Vegas Raiders to attack them in the deep portions of the field consistently. Carr has primarily been a conservative quarterback for most of his career with the Raiders.
The Raiders consistently attacked the Chiefs secondary, who was primarily focused on the underneath routes leading to coverage breakdowns in the field’s deeper areas. It led to several big plays, including the Nelson Agholor 59 yard touchdown and the 72-yard touchdown from Henry Ruggs III.
Now, Kansas City travels to take on the Buffalo Bills on Monday evening. Once known as a defensive juggernaut, the Bills have made their success on the offensive side of the ball in 2020. The trade for wide receiver Stefon Diggs this offseason and the stellar improvements of Josh Allen this year have made for one of the best offenses in football.
Similar to the Chiefs, the Bills are coming off a painful loss in Week 5. Buffalo took a beating losing to the Tennessee Titans on Tuesday night 42-16. It will be a real test for both teams with the potential to be a tie-breaker for top seedings in the AFC playoffs. After the poor defensive performance against the Raiders, something to monitor will be the defense’s leadership and whether or not the message this week was driven home. Can the Chiefs defense get back to playing at a high level against one of the best offenses in the NFL?