Orchard Park, N.Y. — The Buffalo Bills made it five straight regular-season wins over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday evening, holding off the Chiefs for a 28-21 victory.
The Bills (6-2) got another superstar performance out of James Cook, who ran for 114 yards. Josh Allen had his highest passing output since the opener against the Ravens when he threw for 394 yards. He finished with 273 passing yards and had no interceptions for the second straight game.
The Chiefs (5-4) fell two games behind the AFC West-leading Denver Broncos with the loss. Kansas City had scored at least 28 points in five straight games and brought a four-game win streak into Buffalo.
Michael Hoecht injured
The Bills’ pass rush was electric against the Chiefs. The debut of Michael Hoecht supercharged the unit. By the time the fourth quarter rolled around, the Bills had piled up 12 hits on Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. The former MVP was getting beaten up. Hoecht’s tenacity and versatility were helping to unlock everyone on the line.
Then the unthinkable happened. Fewer than two games into his Bills tenure, Hoecht exited the game with an Achilles injury. The severity of the injury is unclear. A cart was brought out for Hoecht, but he waved it off and remained on the Bills’ bench late into the fourth quarter.
If Hoecht’s season is over, the Bills may have to get aggressive at the trade deadline to try to replace him. His ability to rush off the edge and push inside on passing downs seemed like a game-changer for Sean McDermott’s defense.
After Hoecht left the game, Bosa looked like the game wrecker the Bills have desperately needed against Kansas City. On a third-and-long play late in the fourth quarter, Bosa hit Mahomes, who heaved the ball down the field. Rookie cornerback Max Hairston intercepted the pass.
Dalton Kincaid sparks passing game
The Bills’ passing game has been searching for answers, and things have looked hard for quarterback Josh Allen the past few games. Last week, against the Carolina Panthers, offensive coordinator Joe Brady said the Bills didn’t need their passing game because the run game was working. This week, Allen completed passes to nine different receivers.
The best of the bunch was third-year tight end Dalton Kincaid. He started his day with a beautiful win versus a mismatch against Chiefs linebacker Drue Tranquill. Kincaid’s move was so good that Tranquill fell, and Kincaid was wide open for a touchdown.
The other big Kincaid play came in the second quarter to set up the Bills’ second touchdown. The Bills faced a second-and-13 when Allen hung in the pocket and waited just long enough for Kincaid to come open on the crossing route. The tight end made the play and ran for 47 yards.
Kincaid missed the Atlanta Falcons game ― a 24-14 loss ― with an oblique injury. He played last week but only logged 25% of the snaps. He showed his importance to the passing game against the Chiefs.
Cole Bishop coming-out party
Bishop was the best player on the field for either team in the first half. The rookie came up with pass breakups on back-to-back plays to force the Chiefs into a turnover on downs. Bishop was flying around the field and looked more comfortable in his role than he has in his 12 career starts.
The most impressive part of Bishop’s game might have been his recognition and speed. On one play, he lined up with speedster Xavier Worthy. Bishop ran with Worthy, who was sent in motion, and tracked him down in time to break up the Mahomes’ pass.
Right before halftime, Bishop showed off his toughness when he leveled Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce in the end zone. The play helped the Bills defense hold the Chiefs to just a field goal before the half.
Bishop’s surge coincides with the arrival of veteran Jordan Poyer in the starting lineup. Poyer’s experience seems to have settled things in the Bills’ secondary.
Josh Allen gets right
Allen played close to a perfect game. He completed 23 of 26 passes (88.5%) for 273 yards and the touchdown to Kincaid. He added two rushing touchdowns on a pair of goal-line keepers. The most significant difference compared to his past couple game ― he threw four interceptions over the last five games ― was his calm in the pocket.
Allen waited a little longer to go through his progressions before evading and trying to run. One play that stood out late in the game was a third-down strike to receiver Elijah Moore, who hauled in the 28-yard pass and took a huge shot before coming down with it.
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