**Chiefs vs Bills Official Game Day Thread - 11/29/15**

[TopekaRoy]

Bills, bills, bills. I hate them bills!

[TopekaRoy]

The Kansas City Chiefs (5-5)



vs

The Buffalo Bills (5-5)



Sunday, November 29, 12:00pm CT
at
Arrowhead Stadium
Kansas City, Missouri



Television coverage:

Watch online:
Stream Hub
Boss Cast
atdhe.ru
Feed2All
Stream2Watch.me
First Row Sports

Before watching any streams please READ THIS important message.

[TopekaRoy]

Weather forecast: 38 degrees farenheit, drizzle 5 mph ENE winds

Line: Chiefs (-6), Over/Under: 42

Trends:
The Chiefs are 2-2 at home
The Chiefs are 5-5 ATS
The Chiefs are 2-2 at home ATS
The Chiefs are 4-2 ATS as the favorite

The Bills are 3-2 away
The Bills are 4-5-1 ATS
The Bills are 2-2-1 away ATS
The Bills are 2-1-1 ATS as the underdog

Notable Quotables:
Chiefs: "These guys, they like being around each other, they like to practice and they didn’t let that situation get them down and the coaches did a good job with it. ... They’re going to continue to press forward and make sure we keep getting better." -- Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid

Bills: "We’ve got a big game coming up, a great team, a great defense, a great offense. So like I said we’ve got to focus on those guys. This [game against the Patriots] is behind us, we lost. We’ve got to focus on the next one." -- Bills WR Sammy Watkins

Key Stats:
Chiefs: Alex Smith hasn't thrown an interception in 7 straight games, tied for the longest streak of his career (2011-12). Smith has never thrown an interception against the Bills (82 attempts). The Chiefs have won 4 in a row, outscoring opponents by 91 points in those games. The Chiefs have no turnovers and 12 takeaways during the winning streak. The Chiefs have the easiest strength of schedule among remaining opponents (.333 win pct).

Bills: Tyrod Taylor is 3-1 on the road this season with 5 Pass TD and 0 Int. Only 5 QBs have a better W-L on the road this season.

Injury Report:
Chiefs:
OUT:
Charcandrick West RB Hamstring (Downgraded from Questionable)
Allen Bailey DE Calf
Donald Ford LB Back
De'Anthony Thomas WR Concussion
Ben Grubbs G Neck

QUESTIONABLE:
Travis Kelce TE Groin

PROBABLE:Tamba Hali LB Knee
Christian Conley WR Hand
Mike Devito DE Shoulder
Jamell Fleming CB Hamstring
Brian Parker TE Ankle
Ramik Wilson LB Ankle

Chargers:
OUT:
Marcus Easley WR Concussion
John Miller G Ankle
Kyle Williams DT Knee
Mario Williams DE Foot

PROBABLE:
Marcell Dareus DT Knee
Bacarri Rambo S Shoulder
Tyrod Taylor QB right Shoulder

[TopekaRoy]

Team Stats:


Stats Leaders:
Chiefs:



Bills:

[TopekaRoy]

Depth Charts:

Chiefs:
Offense:


Defense:



Bills:
Offense:


Defense:

[TopekaRoy]

Game Preview from ESPN.com:

The Kansas City Chiefs could be streaking their way toward history.

They can continue their impressive run with a fifth consecutive victory Sunday when they face a visiting Buffalo Bills team that's also trying to remain a serious playoff contender.

Kansas City (5-5) has yet to lose since the five-game skid that appeared to end its season before it really started. And even a season-ending knee injury to star running back Jamaal Charles in Week 5 couldn't keep the Chiefs from regrouping and successfully pressing on.

Not only have the Chiefs clawed their way back to .500, they own the final wild-card spot in the AFC.

"I'm proud of the guys for the character they have," coach Andy Reid said. "Very easily could have gone the other way. Coaches and players, for that matter. And they didn't do that. They played their hearts out. And they'll continue to do that because that's the way they're wired."

Kansas City can join the 1970 Cincinnati Bengals as the only teams to make the playoffs after starting 1-5. None of its final six opponents have winning records and four of those games will be at home.

"You know, 5-5 obviously is not the goal," safety Eric Berry said, "but we have our goals set and we know what mission we're on, so we're going to keep striving for that."

Kansas City has shined on both sides of the ball, outscoring its opponents 130-39 during the four-game winning streak.

"They have the right nucleus and they're good at what they do," San Diego cornerback and ex-Chief Brandon Flowers said. "They don't do a lot of stuff, but they are perfect at what they do well."

Kansas City has allowed an average of 12.2 points in the last six games after giving up 31.3 in the first four. In last Sunday's 33-3 rout of reeling San Diego, the Chiefs allowed fewer than 300 total yards for a third straight game with a season-low 201. They also scored a defensive touchdown.

Alex Smith has not thrown an interception in a franchise-record 253 pass attempts and third-stringer Spencer Ware ran for 96 yards and two TDs on 11 carries while starter Charcandrick West dealt with a hamstring injury against the Chargers. Ware, who before last Sunday ran six times for 24 yards this season, is likely to get a bulk of the work this weekend if West is unable to play.

"We're focusing. We're not waiting for somebody else to make the play," defensive tackle Dontari Poe said. "We're just putting it all on ourselves to make it.

"As long as we keep doing that and playing together, we'll be all right."

Like Kansas City, Buffalo is among five AFC teams at 5-5, but is behind the Chiefs and Houston in the standings because those two have better records within the conference.

"We still got a whole season," linebacker Nigel Bradham told the Bills' official website. "We're still in the hunt."

The Bills' bid for a third consecutive victory ended with Monday's 20-13 loss at New England. Though Buffalo has held its last three opponents to 20 or fewer points, it scored 14 or less for the third time.

"We have to put more points on the board; start executing," running back LeSean McCoy said.

McCoy has averaged 126.3 total yards and scored twice in the last four games, but Kansas City has held its last three opponents to 202 rushing yards and 3.7 per carry. The Chiefs have allowed only one running back to score in any fashion over the last five contests.

Buffalo expects Tyrod Taylor to be under center despite hurting his shoulder against the Patriots. The Bills are 5-3 with Taylor, who has 11 TDs, four interceptions and a 100.9 passer rating. They are 0-2 when backup EJ Manuel starts in 2015.

"We'll see how the week progresses," coach Rex Ryan said. "But I think (Taylor) will be ready to roll."

Ryan is less certain about the status of defensive end Mario Williams (foot), who is tied for the team lead with three sacks. Both right guard John Miller (high left ankle sprain) and backup receiver Marcus Easley (concussion) have already been ruled out for this contest.

"We move on to Kansas City ... and we go on from there," Buffalo receiver Chris Hogan said.

Smith's 8-yard TD run in the fourth quarter helped the Chiefs to their second consecutive victory over the Bills, 17-13 on Nov. 9 of last year.

[TopekaRoy]

Scouting Report from the Kansas City Star:
BY TEREZ A. PAYLOR
tpaylor@kcstar.com


When the Chiefs run

EDGE >> CHIEFS
The Bills do a nice job preventing big runs — they’ve allowed only four runs of 20 or more yards, the fifth-fewest in the league — but the Chiefs have forged an identity on the ground in recent weeks, as they lead the league with 14 rushing touchdowns. Charcandrick West is questionable with a hamstring injury, but if he can’t play, Spencer Ware and Knile Davis have done well in the past and should be able to handle the load. The Bills will miss stud defensive tackle Kyle Williams, who is on injured reserve, but fellow nose tackle Marcell Dareus (6-3, 331) is a strong, disruptive presence vs. the run and pass.

Chiefs’ top rusher	No.	Yds.	Avg.	TD
Charcandrick West	98	373	3.8	3

When the Chiefs pass

EDGE >> BILLS
Alex Smith has done a very nice job protecting the football in recent weeks; he’s thrown only three interceptions, the fewest in the league. He’s done so during a season where the Chiefs have surrendered 34 sacks, the third-most in the league, and 57 quarterback hits, which ranks 16th. They’re facing a Buffalo team that has only racked up 15 sacks (the fourth-fewest in the league) and will allow some big plays (they’ve given up the fifth-most passes over 20 yards or more), but the Bills do force turnovers — their 11 interceptions are tied for eighth overall — and opposing quarterbacks have only posted an 81.4 rating on them, which ranks sixth in the league. They also turned up the heat last week on New England, harassing Tom Brady all game long with an array of blitzes. The Bills will be without stud edge rusher Mario Williams due to injury, but fellow end Jerry Hughes (6-2, 254) uses his quickness and effort to get after the quarterback. Cornerback Ronald Darby (5-11, 193) is playing at a high level and is one of the league’s best players at the position. He teams up with Stephon Gilmore (6-1, 190) to give the Bills a strong duo. They have five interceptions between them. The Chiefs should make use of their strong screen game if the Bills continue their aggressive style, but it will be interesting to see if they can get the ball to Travis Kelce against a Bills team that limited Patriots star Rob Gronkowski to two catches and 37 yards last week.

Chiefs’ top QB	C	A	Yds.	TD-I
Alex Smith	207	324	2,426	10-3
Chiefs’ top WR	No.	Yds.	Avg.	TD
Travis Kelce	50	620	12.4	3

When the Bills run

EDGE >> BILLS
The Bills are a ground-oriented team that ranks second in the league with 12 rushing touchdowns. LeSean McCoy (5-11, 208) is as elusive and dangerous as ever (the Bills rank second in the league rushes of 20 yards or more), but backup Karlos Williams (6-1, 230) is a tough, physical runner who actually has the higher yards-per-carry average (5.8 to 4.6). The Chiefs have done a nice job preventing big runs, and will need to remain gap sound. Quarterback Tyrod Taylor (6-1, 215) is a rushing threat who has accumulated 244 yards and two touchdowns, so he must always be accounted for. The left side of the Bills’ offensive line is good. Left tackle Cordy Glenn (6-6, 345), left guard Richie Incognito (6-3, 319) and center Eric Wood (6-4, 310) are all playing at a high level.

Bills’ top rusher	No.	Yds.	Avg.	TD
LeSean McCoy	133	610	4.6	3

When the Bills pass

EDGE >> CHIEFS
Taylor isn’t going to make a ton of big plays in the passing game, but he’s been very efficient this season and has done a nice job operating their offense. He’s also dealing with a shoulder injury, but is expected to play. His top target is Charles Clay (6-3, 255) a receiving tight end who functions as a security blanket. Two other Bills receivers — Robert Woods (6-0, 190) and Chris Hogan (6-1, 220) — actually have more catches than noted big-play threat Sammy Watkins (6-1, 211), who has made his displeasure about his usage level known. Bills coach Rex Ryan hinted they might try to get him the ball more this week. Regardless, the Chiefs will need to pressure Taylor to win, which is possible; the Bills have surrendered 29 sacks, the eighth-most in the league, and 52 quarterback hits, which ranks 12th, and the Chiefs have held opposing quarterbacks have posted a 78.6 rating, which ranks fourth in the league. Their 29 sacks rank eighth, and they’ve done a decent job preventing passing plays over 20 yards.

Bills’ top QB	C	A	Yds.	TD-I
Tyrod Taylor	144	212	1,669	11-4
Bills’ top WR	No.	Yds.	Avg.	TD
Charles Clay	41	422	10.3	2

Special teams

EDGE >> CHIEFS
Chiefs kicker Cairo Santos has the edge in touchback percentage over Buffalo’s Dan Carpenter, and while they share the same field-goal accuracy (82 percentage), Santos has made nine more. The Chiefs’ Dustin Colquitt leads the league in punts inside the 20, while the Bills’ Colton Schmidt is only 27th in that category. The Chiefs’ return units boast higher averages, and while the Bills are the league’s best team in covering kickoffs, the Chiefs’ special teams have been stronger, overall. One more thing — Buffalo will be without special teams ace Marcus Easley due to a concussion.

Coaching

EDGE >> CHIEFS
Buffalo’s Rex Ryan is known for his bluster, but the man led the Jets to two AFC Championship Games before four years of mediocrity in New York. That said, his 51-54 career record isn’t terribly impressive, but the man can coach defense, his teams play hard for him and he’s never had a great quarterback. Offensive coordinator Greg Roman has a nice pedigree — he spent the last four years as the 49ers’ offensive coordinator — and he’s done a nice job taking advantage of Tyrod Taylor’s skills this season. Defensive coordinator Dennis Thurmond’s unit ranks 17th this season after ranking fourth last season and 10th in 2013. So the Bills are a well-coached team; it’s just that Andy Reid has a higher career winning percentage than Ryan, and their offensive and defensive units rank higher this season, too.

X-factor

EDGE >> CHIEFS
These two teams have a history, as they’ve played seven consecutive years dating back to 2008. The Chiefs have won those last two matchups, and they’re a confident group right now, as they’ve bounced back from a 1-5 start to win their last four games, while the Bills have lost three of their last five contests and are playing during a short week, as they lost to New England on Monday night.

Bottom line: Chiefs 23-20

This one should be close, as it always seems to be between these two teams, but with the way the Chiefs’ defense is playing, it will take a strong effort by a banged-up Taylor to come out of Arrowhead with a victory. The Bills are among the league’s most penalized teams, which never helps on the road, but the Chiefs better not underestimate their opponent — both teams are 5-5 and should be treating this like a playoff game. If the Chiefs bring it and play as well as they did against San Diego last week, they should prevail.

[TopekaRoy]

This is a critical game for the Chiefs. A win here will give them what amounts to a two win lead over the Bills.

Reading the ESPN preview above, I get the impression that the Chiefs are a highly confident team that knows what they have to do and believes they know how to do it.

With the Bills I get the impression that they are going to play as hard as they can and just hope for the best.

The Chiefs are going out there today to win the game. The Bills are going out there to "try" to win the game. Edge>>Chiefs

[ctchiefsfan]

MAN! Those "out" and "questionable" lists are ugly. Especially with the latest word being that west has gone from "questionable" to "out".

[kcvet]

gonna be a sloppy day out there with rain and temps near freezing