Chiefs vs. Bills: What Are Experts Saying About Buffalo?

The Buffalo Bills will return to Ralph Wilson Stadium after their bye week to take on the Kansas City Chiefs. The big news heading into the weekend is the health of star receiver Sammy Watkins. Watkins injured his groin in practice earlier this week, and he didn't practice Thursday.

According to John Wawrow of The Associated Press, Watkins should be able to play Sunday, but we won't know until he is actually out there against the Chiefs. 

But there is more to look at than the injury to Watkins. Both the Bills and the Chiefs are 5-3, so this game could go a long way for both teams' playoff hopes. It isn't necessarily a loser-leaves-town matchup with regard to the playoffs, but 6-3 is much better than 5-4, especially considering the logjam in the AFC.

As always, talking heads and reporters alike are giving their opinions on all of the weekend's NFL action. Let's have a look at what the experts have to say about this Bills-Chiefs showdown.

Mike Rodak: Bills O-Line vs. Chiefs D Is Mismatch

Colin E. Braley/Associated Press

This game could very well come down to the battle in the trenches.

In a preview for ESPN.com, Mike Rodak and Adam Teicher went back and forth about all the storylines surrounding this game.

During one section, Rodak said the Chiefs defense should have the advantage against the offensive line of the Bills: "The problem will be defenses like the Chiefs, who sack opposing quarterbacks on a league-high 10.8 percent of attempts. Meanwhile, the Bills' offense allows sacks on 8.4 percent of pass attempts, the fifth-worst mark in the NFL. That's a mismatch." 

Rodak is right on here. The problems the Bills have had protecting the quarterback have been well documented. Justin Houston leads the league in sacks, and if he is left one-on-one against a Bills lineman, Houston will have an advantage all day.

If the Bills can get the ball out quickly on pass plays, that can help neutralize the pass rush a little bit. However, if the Bills struggle to protect Kyle Orton, it won't matter whether Sammy Watkins is playing or not.

BJ Kissel: Red Zone Will Be Important

Colin E. Braley/Associated Press

This probably won't be news to you, but it's important to score when you get into the red zone. That's some top-notch analysis, right?

Sometimes, though, the obvious aspects do end up being the most important. In his preview for kcchiefs.com, BJ Kissel highlighted the impact red-zone scoring could have on Sunday's game.

According to Kissel, the Chiefs score a touchdown on 70.4 percent of their drives that make it inside the 20-yard line. Conversely, the Bills defense allows touchdowns on 63.2 percent of drives in the red zone, which ranks 24th in the league.

In a game that is shaping up to be close, both teams will have to make the most of their long drives. The Chiefs have some dangerous scoring threats on their offense in Jamaal Charles, Travis Kelce and Dwayne Bowe. 

Speaking of Kelce, some Bills players had some high praise for the Chiefs tight end. Via Matthew Fairburn of Syracuse.com, Aaron Williams compared Kelce to Rob Gronkowski.

Whether it is Kelce, Anthony Fasano, Charles or anyone else, the Bills have to shore up their defense when they get into the shadow of their own goal posts. If they can hold the Chiefs to three points instead of seven, it will help a Bills offense that could struggle if Sammy Watkins has to sit.

Oddsmakers Can't Even Pick a Favorite

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Based on the similarity in styles between these two teams and all of the breakdowns swirling around, this shapes up to be a pretty evenly matched game.

It's such a toss-up, in fact, that our friends at OddsShark.com couldn't even come up with a favorite. Yes, at the time of this writing, the site has declared the game a pick 'em, meaning neither team is a favorite and you would basically just be picking the outright winner.

For whatever it's worth, Odds Shark is reporting that 67 percent of bettors are going with the Chiefs. But coming off their bye, the Bills are well-rested and should keep the game close.

As most close games do, this one could come down to which team limits its mistakes. If one defense is able to create a few more sacks and takeaways, that team will likely come away with the win. Therefore, the Bills need to make sure they put Kyle Orton in a position to not take sacks and make easy throws to limit the chance for giveaways.

Herm Edwards: Bills "Have a Nice Front"

Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press

In his prediction for NFL Live, Herm Edwards picked the Bills to outlast the Chiefs at the Ralph. He said "I like Buffalo in Buffalo, and they've got something going right now."

The main point Edwards made about picking the Bills was the strength of their defensive front. He acknowledged the Chiefs have good running backs in Jamaal Charles and Knile Davis, but the Bills have a strong run defense.

Edwards also mentioned how the Chiefs haven't had a receiver catch a touchdown yet. That could be because of the offense with Alex Smith working short routes and then looking for tight ends and backs in the red zone. But outside of Dwayne Bowe, the Chiefs don't have any wideouts who scare you much.

Therefore, if the Bills secondary can blanket the receivers, it will make the Chiefs more one-dimensional. Then the Bills can rely on their run defense to try to contain Charles and Davis.

It's certainly easier said than done. But if the Bills defense plays like it has been, especially after a week of rest, it should be able to keep the conservative Chiefs offense in check.