For as many problems as the Kansas City Chiefs have given the Buffalo Bills in the playoffs over the years, the regular season has remained completely one-sided in the Bills’ favor.
The Bills’ 28-21 win on Sunday boosted their record to 6-2 and they have now won their last five regular-season games against the Chiefs, which has been an annual matchup between the two franchises.
Now, nearly halfway through the season, the Bills have victories over the two other AFC preseason superpowers — the Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens. The Bills have the fourth-best record in the AFC and are only half a game behind the trio tied for first, with the top seed still very much within reach.
None of those situations would have been possible if it weren’t for the complete slowdown of Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who looked like the NFL’s Most Valuable Player through the first eight games this season. The Bills’ success began with a clear mindset.
“I think attitude on the field. Not that it was bad. It’s just at another level right now. And you’ve got to be nasty if you want to play good defense,” Bills head coach Sean McDermott said after the game. “If you’re not tough as a defense, what do you got, right? You want to play finesse defense? That doesn’t work. So I’m really proud of the staff, defensively, led by (defensive coordinator) Bobby (Babich). And then the way that the guys have embraced that attitude and that nastiness.”
But it wasn’t just that mental approach; the Bills also put together a terrific game plan that helped extend their regular-season winning streak over the Chiefs. Here’s how they did it, along with some other big-picture notes from the Bills’ victory.
Bills employ aggressive strategy to undo Patrick Mahomes
Over the years, through the many, many chapters of the Bills-Chiefs rivalry, we have seen the Bills try various ways to slow down the Chiefs. It certainly has not worked every time, and sometimes it has completely blown up in their face. This time around, given the personnel and the questions they faced coming into the game, it might be the most impressive defensive performance McDermott and his coaching staff have put together against the Chiefs since arriving in Buffalo. The sheer volume of Bills injuries was the reason why the visitors were road favorites heading into the game.
The Bills were down three of their top four defensive tackles in Ed Oliver, DaQuan Jones and T.J. Sanders. Two members of their starting secondary at the beginning of the year, nickel Taron Johnson and safety Taylor Rapp, were unavailable. Linebacker Shaq Thompson, who has had an outstanding season, was also too injured to play. Balancing out a plethora of young players being thrust into playing time, perhaps earlier than the Bills would have liked, was a trio of players likely past their prime in cornerback Tre’Davious White, safety Jordan Poyer and defensive tackle Jordan Phillips. When you consider all of that, and that the Bills were still trying to apply the adhesive to coalesce this makeshift defense together, going against the high-powered Chiefs offense seemed like a mountain too tall to climb. And then this defense, with all of this uncertainty, somehow stopped Mahomes in a way that no one ever has before. Mahomes was held to his lowest completion percentage of his career, 44.1 percent, and under 50 percent for the first time, too.
To understand what the Bills did, we have to understand what the Chiefs are on offense in 2025 — and in how the Bills chose to attack them. There is little doubt that the Chiefs have one of the most dangerous and multifaceted passing attacks in the NFL. Their collection of pass catchers was built to stress a defense on all three levels, and inside and outside the numbers. It’s what has helped Mahomes to begin his season on such a torrid pace. Though, for as good as the passing attack has been, their running game really has been missing in action for most of the season. Making it even more of an issue, they were without their best between-the-tackles runner, Isiah Pacheco, in this game, which gave the Bills even more incentive to play it the way they did.
Maxwell Hairston got his first career interception against the Chiefs on Sunday. (Gregory Fisher / Imagn Images)
Now to their plan. Understanding all that context from both the Bills and Chiefs’ perspectives, McDermott and Babich helped unseat the Chiefs by employing the most aggressive substitution strategy they’ve used to date. They took their own tendencies and flipped them on their head. So far in 2025, the Bills have been a team that matched their defensive personnel to what the offense trotted onto the field. If the opposition went heavy, the Bills would use base defense with three linebackers; if the opposition went light with three or more receivers, the Bills would be in nickel with five defensive backs. But on Sunday, the Bills turned back the clock to the days when passing offense reigned supreme, put themselves in nickel with Cam Lewis, and never came out of it.
But that’s not all they did. The Bills were doing wholesale substitutions, initially in obvious passing situations on third down. Jordan Poyer started the drive at safety, only for rookie Jordan Hancock to sub in the game. Matt Milano, who was at outside linebacker to begin drives, exited the game for the Bills to bring on a sixth defensive back, and on Sunday, that was Ja’Marcus Ingram. In fact, knowing they had their issues at defensive tackle, the Bills became emboldened to use them less and less throughout the contest. All four of the Bills’ defensive tackles ended the game with under 50 percent of the snaps. Rookie Deone Walker was the only one of the group to crack 40 percent. On third down with longer distances, the Bills substituted defensive end Michael Hoecht in for one of the defensive tackles. And on several occasions, they would bring in linebacker Dorian Williams in for the other defensive tackle.
It was like a shift change in hockey every time the Bills saw a passing situation, at times substituting four players in at once, and it became even more commonplace as the game continued. Following the Chiefs’ first touchdown drive in the first half, the Bills almost uniformly made an in-game switch. Almost every time the Bills won on first down and held the Chiefs to three or fewer yards, they brought in that wholesale change on second down, thinking the Chiefs would just try to pass their way out of the situation.
Effectively, the Bills were daring the Chiefs to run the ball all game long, and outside of a handful of plus-five carries from Kareem Hunt, the Chiefs never made the Bills pay for it. The results speak for themselves. Throughout the game, the Bills used that multi-player substitution 27 times. Of those 27 times, 15 of the plays went for zero or fewer yards. With less open space due to all the defenders dropping into coverage, it forced Mahomes to hang on to the ball longer. During the week, the Bills worked on drills at practice, preparing them for the second play with Mahomes, and when they saw Mahomes start to freelance outside of the pocket, they found a man in coverage and tried to stick to them like glue. That allowed the plus matchup the Bills’ defensive ends had against the Chiefs’ offensive tackles to take hold. Then, with a coordinated rush to take away most of the Mahomes scramble opportunities up the middle, Mahomes was pressured on 52.6 percent of his dropbacks, according to Next Gen Stats, and he completed only 3-of-16 for 61 yards and an interception under pressure.
What was extremely evident was an outstanding plan that was executed seamlessly against the best passing attack in the NFL. And along the way, we are seeing a defense evolve in real time. Those clamoring for the Bills to get with the times on defense and not play it the way they always have should feel satisfied with their Sunday approach. The Bills are getting younger, faster and trying different things tailored both to their opponent and themselves. There were still some gaffes during the game, as there always will be against someone like Mahomes, but seeing a coming-of-age showing with a backup-heavy group and players early into their careers will go a long way this season. Players like Cole Bishop, Maxwell Hairston and Hancock — three players who have a starting future in Buffalo — are progressing. The Bills have hoped all along for their young defense to play its best football when the playoffs arrive. Sunday’s showing and approach will go a long way toward making that vision a reality.
Torn Achilles for Hoecht. Now what?
Even in only two games, it’s not a stretch to say Michael Hoecht was a revelation for the Bills. Hoecht, working at either defensive end or as an interior pass rusher on passing downs, provided the Bills with a real spark in getting to the opposing quarterbacks. Early in the fourth quarter, when Hoecht went down with a non-contact injury and couldn’t put any weight on his right foot, the Bills feared the worst. The team confirmed after the game that Hoecht suffered a torn Achilles, meaning his season is very likely over. The Bills sent the cart to the sideline for the pass rusher. Hoecht, who likely knew the severity immediately, called the cart off and chose to remain on the bench, with his team, to watch the rest of the game in full uniform — likely the last time he’ll be in uniform until 2026.
As impactful as Hoecht has been, it now leaves a void at defensive end and in some of their passing-down versatility. Second-year player Javon Solomon entered into that role once Hoecht’s night was over, but that might not be a permanent solution. The Bills surely can’t address everything at the trade deadline, and if they did want to make an addition to the defensive line group, perhaps now they would opt for a situational pass rusher rather than a defensive tackle. If not, that will likely put more on rookie T.J. Sanders’ plate upon his return from injured reserve, which McDermott said could come in “a few weeks.” Either way, the ever-evolving defensive line puzzle continues to throw curveballs at general manager Brandon Beane.
Josh Allen was magnificent, though strong hints of WR inconsistency remain
Without question, Josh Allen was a man on a mission on Sunday. Knowing that he hadn’t been at his best over the last handful of games, Allen was determined to work through some of his trouble spots. He put together a magnificent game with some really high-level throws and decisions. As impressive as it was, don’t be lulled to sleep by the win.
The Bills are still struggling to win their routes and move the ball outside the numbers to their wide receivers. Throughout the entire game, Allen targeted one of his boundary receivers — everyone not named Khalil Shakir — only five times, and four of those five targets had an air yard target of six or fewer yards. When you rope in Shakir, the average depth of target sinks like a stone. Of the seven targets Shakir caught, his average depth of target was -1.6 yards. The Bills completed only one pass to a wide receiver that traveled longer than six yards, which was the 28-yard strike to Elijah Moore in the third quarter. The group, as a whole, maintained an air yards average of 2.9 yards, including the lone incompletion.
The Bills gave a ton of on-field time to players like Keon Coleman, Tyrell Shavers, Curtis Samuel and Elijah Moore, and it resulted in a grand total of five targets. Just as much as it has been a need over the past few games, for the Bills to become the fully functional two-dimensional offense they covet, another piece is necessary to the boundary receiver group — namely, someone who can help install a bit more of a threat to push in the intermediate and deep levels. It wouldn’t be a surprise if that’s a focal point for Beane before Tuesday’s trade deadline.
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