Buffalo Bills: Week 8 Preview and Keys To The Game Vs The Chiefs

This Sunday the Buffalo Bills hit the road again, as they travel to take on the much-improved Kansas City Chiefs. Bills fans may recall that last year the Bills also went to Kansas City, and came away with a 16-10 victory on the road.

This year, their fortunes have changed. In 2009 the Bills finished 6-10, while the Chiefs finished 4-12. In 2010, the Chiefs find themselves atop the standings in the AFC West with a 4-2 record, while the Bills find themselves at the bottom of the AFC East with an 0-6 record. In fact, the Bills are now the only team in the NFL that has yet to record a win on the season.

The Bills team is well aware of that fact. The team held a players-only meeting during the bye week, and came out and played their most inspired game of the year last weekend, taking the Baltimore Ravens in to overtime. The Bills resurrected offense, led by Ryan Fitzpatrick, found a way to shred the Ravens defense for 505 total yards.

So, did the Bills really improve, or was the Raven's game a mirage? We will find the answer to that question this Sunday. Let's take a look at how this game shapes up.

How Have The Chiefs Turned Their Team Around?

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KANSAS CITY, MO - DECEMBER 13: Quarterback Matt Cassel #7 of the Kansas City Chiefs is sacked by defensive tackle Spencer Johnson #91 and defensive end Chris Kelsay #90 of the Buffalo Bills at Arrowhead Stadium on December 13, 2009 Kansas City, Missouri.

There are a number of reasons for the Chiefs turnaround. Here we are in week eight, and the Chiefs have already equaled their number of wins for the entire 2009 season.

The most recent draft class netted them safety Eric Berry, Dexter McCluster and Javier Arenas. The duo of McCluster and Arenas give the Chiefs dynamic returners for their special teams. That was a strong haul for the Chiefs.

Matt Cassel continues to grow and prosper under head coach Todd Haley. Cassel has thrown for five touchdowns and no interceptions over the past two games.

Another big factor is the addition of  running back Thomas Jones. The New York Jets released Jones on March 5th, and the Chiefs swooped in and signed him to a two year deal four days later.

The Chiefs have a dynamic running game, as they lead the NFL in rushing with 176 yards averaged per game. Jamaal Charles is averaging 81.5 yards a game and Jones is right behind him at 76.8 yards per game. Individually, both backs are ranked in the top 20, as Charles is # 13 and Jones is # 16.

Just to make matters worse, the Bills have the worst rated run defense in the NFL, as they give up 174.5 yards a game, which is 17 yards more than the next worse run defense, Tampa Bay at 157. Wonder what will give, the Chiefs average of 176, or the Bills average of 174?

How Are The Bills Dealing With An 0-6 Record

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ORCHARD PARK, NY - OCTOBER 10: Geoff Hangartner #63 of the Buffalo Bills stands on the field during a time out against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Ralph Wilson Stadium on October 10, 2010 in Orchard Park, New York. Jacksonville won 36-26. (Photo by Rick S

When Trent Edwards was released, the Bills named center Geoff Hangartner as the team's captain to replace Edwards. It didn't seem to be that widely discussed after the Ravens game, but it was Hangartner who was flagged for slamming his helmet down in disgust (or exasperation) after the fumble call on Shawn Nelson went against the Bills.

The unsportsmanlike penalty removed any chance the Bills defense had to keep the Ravens out of scoring position, as the penalty marched the Ravens right in to scoring position without having to do a thing. I realize that Hangartner is trying to lead by example, but losing your cool in the heat of overtime is not exactly the quality you want from your leaders.

Hopefully the switch to the heavier four man defensive line last week will continue to curb opposition running attacks. It also means that there are only three starting linebackers, as Paul Posloszny now finds himself as an outside linebacker, and Aaron Maybin finds himself on the inactive list.

The duo of Ryan Fitzpatrick and Steve Johnson continues to sizzle, and one would think that as they continue to find success, opposition defenses will be targeting this duo to try to stop them. They have hooked up for at least one touchdown in four straight games.

There  were a few Bills defenders that were banged up, so we will be paying attention to learn how Marcus Stroud, Terrence McGee and Kyle Williams are shaping up with their health issues.

Standout Players In This Game

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KANSAS CITY, MO - DECEMBER 13: Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick #14 throws a pass to running back Fred Jackson #22 of the Buffalo Bills during NFL action against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on December 13, 2009 Kansas City, Missouri. The Bill

Current Chiefs and Bills players found on the NFL Leaderboards are:

Bills QB Ryan Fitzpatrick has the # 2 QB Passer Rating in the NFL at 102, trailing only Peyton Manning, who is at 103.4 Chiefs QB Matt Cassel is at # 9 with a 91.5 rating.

Chiefs running backs Jamaal Charles is # 13 and Thomas Jones is # 16. Bills running back Fred Jackson is # 38.

Bills wide receiver is # 28 in yardage per game with 62 yards per game. The Chiefs do not have any receivers in the top 40.

Steve Johnson and Chiefs receiver Dwayne Bowe are tied for 6th place in receiving touchdowns with five each, while Lee Evans is right behind them with four touchdown receptions.

Bills rookie running back is # 2 in the NFL at kick off return yardage, with 705 yards in six games. The Chiefs rookie duo of Dexter McCluster and Javier Arenas have combined for 470 kickoff return yards.

Bills safety Donte Whitner leads the Bills in tackles with 54, which is #16 in the NFL. Never a good thing when your safety leads the team in tackles. Chiefs linebacker Derrick Johnson leads the team with 49 tackles, good for 20th place in the league.

Both punters, the Bills Brian Moorman and the Chiefs Dustin Colquitt are averaging 44 yards per punt.

Chiefs linebacker Tamba Hali is tied for 12th in the NFL with 5 and 1/2 sacks. The Bills do not have any ranked sack leaders.

Chiefs cornerback Brandon Flowers leads the team with two interceptions, while the Bills secondary has yet to intercept a pass this year. This is a strange stat, since the Bills led the AFC in interceptions last year. But that is how things are shaping up under Defensive Coordinator George Edwards, where he has had to make adjustments and continues to struggle to find answers.

This Is A Homecoming Game For Chan Gailey

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FOXBORO, MA - SEPTEMBER 26: Coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots (R) shakes hands with coach Chan Gailey of the Buffalo Bills after the game at Gillette Stadium on September 26, 2010 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. The Patriots won 38-30. (Photo b

Chan Gailey was the Kansas City Chief's Offensive Coordinator for the 2008 season and for the first three preseason games of the 2009 season. Head Coach Todd Haley felt the Chiefs would be better off going in a different direction and decided to let Gailey go, similar to what the Bills did when Dick Jauron fired offensive coordinator Turk Schonert prior to the start of the 2009 season.

Gailey is anxious to gain his first win as the Bills head coach. It will probably be a nice piece of revenge if he can gain it against Todd Haley, the coach that fired him, but I am convinced that Gailey would never admit to that publicly.

The Bills will need to cut down on their turnovers, as the four they lost against the Ravens cost them the game. If they play with the same level of intensity that they did against the Ravens, they will have a good chance to upset the Chiefs.

What To Expect In This Game

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KANSAS CITY, MO - OCTOBER 24: Running back Thomas Jones #20 of the Kansas City Chiefs carries the ball up and over for a touchdown during the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on October 24, 2010 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo

The Bills and Chiefs are fairly even with respect to converting on third down, as the Chiefs have converted on 37% of their third downs, while the Bills have converted 35% of their third downs. Expect this contest to be the Chiefs doing their best to hand the ball off to the duo of Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones, trying to wear down the Bills defense.

Assume that the Bills will stick with the heavier four man defensive line scheme that they introduced in Baltimore, and asking the front seven to contain the Chiefs running backs. Since the Chiefs excel at the running game, it would not be a surprise to see the safeties playing closer to the line of scrimmage. Some zone run blitzes might be in order as well.

The Bills finally committed to their running attack last week by giving Fred Jackson at least 20 carries. Expect to see that trend continue. C.J. Spiller scored twice against the Patriots but hasn't scored since the week three contest. He is due to break out for a long play sooner than later.

For the Bills to have a realistic chance to win, they need to keep their defense fresh by winning the time of possession battle and ticking off long drives like they did against Green Bay and Baltimore. Eliminating the turnovers is crucial. The Bills and Chiefs have demonstrated that they play disciplined ball, as both teams are in the top four at being least penalized in the NFL. The Bills have only been flagged 29 times, good for third in the league, while the Chiefs are right behind them with 30 penalties.

The Bills will enter this contest with some degree of confidence knowing that they won here last year, and that they had a strong showing in Baltimore. Can they contain and slow down the Chiefs ground game? That is the big question for this contest.