Chiefs vs. Bills: Full Report Card Grades for Kansas City
Kansas City's 17-13 comeback win in Buffalo was no pretty. No team plans to win by coming back in the fourth quarter with a two-possession deficit. But sometimes those situations happen.
The Chiefs were placed in that position and found a way to bounce back.
Coach Andy Reid was faced with a challenge going into the fourth quarter, trying to guide the Chiefs to a win and keep the streak going.
It was an ugly one but a big win on the road with early playoff implications.
With an ugly win against the Bills come all kinds of grades in our grade book.
Quarterback
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Alex Smith did not have a good game statistically, as he was 17-of-29 passing for 177 yards and six sacks for a 76.4 passer rating. Even though Kansas City’s passing game lacked execution, Smith kept the offense together and helped lead the team during the fourth-quarter comeback.
Alongside six sacks and 10 quarterback hits, Smith was pressured and roughed up by Buffalo’s stout defensive line throughout the game, yet he never gave up.
Grade: B+
Running Back
2 of 11
Like Smith, Jamaal Charles was pummeled early in the game. Buffalo’s defense tackled him for a loss on his first three carries. And once again, like Smith, Charles hung in there and finally broke through.
Charles began the rally in the fourth quarter with a 39-yard touchdown run on fourth down when Reid called a pitch fake.
He finished with 118 yards of total offense, contributing immensely to Kansas City’s fourth-quarter surge.
Grade: A
Wide Receiver
3 of 11
Dwayne Bowe had one of his better games since Reid took over as the head coach, pulling in eight catches for 93 yards. Although the Chiefs did not get much production from the rest of the receivers, Bowe’s performance made up for it, as he had his season high in yards and catches.
Bowe has caught five or more passes in five of the last six games, trying to make more of an impact on offense.
Grade: B
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Tight End
4 of 11
Travis Kelce has been Kansas City’s most consistent pass-catcher, while Anthony Fasano has pulled through to help the Chiefs in carrying the passing game. However, the tight ends were next to non-existent in the passing game.
Kelce and Fasano combined for three receptions for 26 yards, which is uncharacteristic by those two.
This could be due to Smith getting little time to throw, but this was a bad game for the tight ends.
Grade: D-
Offensive Line
5 of 11
The offensive line got outplayed all game long by Buffalo’s starting defensive line, which had 21 sacks going into this game. But the O-line was able to pave the way for Charles late in the game, making key blocks during the 39-yard touchdown run and helping him finish with 98 yards.
The line had one of its worst games of the season, allowing two Bills players to have multi-sack games. In the end, the linemen still stuck it out and found a way to boost the running game.
Grade: C
Defensive Line
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Defensive end Allen Bailey and nose tackle Dontari Poe continued to dominate up front as part of Kansas City’s powerful front seven.
Bailey finished with three run stuffs behind the line of scrimmage, while Poe had the team’s only sack of Kyle Orton.
The linebackers usually shine above the defensive line in the team’s front seven, but it was the defensive line that stepped up and made more plays to help the team pick up the win.
Grade: A-
Linebacker
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Justin Houston was silenced, finishing with no sacks for the second time this year and for the first time since Week 2 against Denver. Josh Mauga had played well against the run, while Tamba Hali had provided supplemental pressure, but both were quiet Sunday.
Sometimes the team’s best unit will even have off days, and this was an off day for the linebackers.
Joe Mays played a regular-season game for the first time this year, collecting one tackle. He hopes to use his veteran experience to help the linebackers in the second half of the season.
Grade: C
Secondary
8 of 11
Even with Sammy Watkins available for the Bills, they had little opportunities to make big plays in the passing game. The defensive backs did not let up a big play, keeping Orton’s receivers in check.
Near the end of the game, Ron Parker battled by batting down three passes, not allowing Orton to connect with the players he targeted in the end zone.
Kansas City had some unknowns in its secondary while Eric Berry was away for most of the season, but the group has been in uniform and has helped the team place No. 1 against the pass.
Grade: B+
Special Teams
9 of 11
Two things caught my attention on special teams.
Kansas City had an opportunity to pin the Bills inside their own 5-yard line, but the special teams defense struggled, specifically Marcus Cooper and Junior Hemingway, when they couldn’t hold onto the ball after one of Dustin Colquitt’s punts.
As for De’Anthony Thomas, what was he doing? Everyone respects his speed and knows what he is capable of, but why is he fielding punts deep in the team’s own territory? That always spells bad news, and the offense usually starts with poor field position as a result.
Grade: C
Coaching
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Reid may have had some bad play calls in the first three quarters, but as we all know, it is about how you finish.
He pulled out all the stops and called several plays that lifted the Chiefs. Gutsy play-calling was key in boosting the Chiefs in the fourth quarter, and Reid deserves a lot of credit.
Fans love him so much that they even dress like him, as you see in this photo.
Grade: B
Overall
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QB: B+
RB: A
TE: D-
WR: B
OL: C
DL: A-
LB: C
DB: B+
ST: C
Coaching: A
Overall: B
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