Why Chiefs Will Reign Supreme Vs. Bills In Biggest Game Of NFL Season
It’s going to feel like a playoff game on and off the field Sunday when the Kansas City Chiefs head to Buffalo to square off with the Bills.
Even before things kick off at Highmark Stadium in western New York, the big-game feel will be undeniable. Not only are the two teams a combined 17-2. CBS, who went out of its way to ensure it would have this game on its 2024 slate, will match the moment by sending its studio crew to Orchard Park for a pregame show and presentation typically reserved for the AFC Championship Game or the Super Bowl.
It also just so happens that Taylor Swift’s world tour will have her across the Peace Bridge in Toronto for a handful of weekend concerts. So you know she’ll be in attendance.
With this being the closest thing you’re gonna get to a playoff game in November, you have to think the Chiefs are going to feel right at home. KC’s pursuit of perfection hasn’t been easy; all but two of their nine wins have come in one-score games. That being said, NESN.com’s Mike Cole believes Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs will get up for this game in a way they haven’t really had — or perhaps even wanted — to do since the Super Bowl.
“I know it hasn’t been pretty,” Cole said this week on NESN’s “The Spread” podcast. “It has not. It’s been really bad. Actually, they’re going to trip up sooner or later, and they’re probably not going to win the Super Bowl because I don’t think they’re good enough, but I still think they can reach back like a pitcher and get 98 in the seventh inning when they need to.
” … This is just going to feel like the Super Bowl in November. … This is going to feel like a big game, and if that is the case, give me the Chiefs.”
The trends and the stats sure point to the Chiefs. Buffalo opened as a small favorite, a number that has oscillated during the week. As of Friday, the Bills were slight 2-point favorites one would blame bettors looking to blindly back the Chiefs in this spot. KC is 12-1-1 with 11 outright wins as underdogs in the Mahomes era.
While Kansas City is chasing history, a win Sunday could be massive in the long run for the Bills, who are still trying to break through. The Bills have looked just as good, if not better, this season. Winning this game could go a long way in earning home-field advantage in any potential playoff rematch, something that feels borderline inevitable at this point.
Then again, Buffalo hosted the Chiefs last year in the divisional round — and lost. It certainly wouldn’t be surprising to see more of the same Sunday.
Check out more from “The Spread” in the video above and download the audio version on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.