Bills vs. Chiefs: TV Schedule, Live Streaming, Radio, Game Time and More

While the Buffalo Bills struggled once again to achieve respectability, the Kansas City Chiefs surprisingly won the AFC West in 2010.

With the 2011 regular season upon us, both of these teams will start anew with 0-0 records. The Chiefs will be looking to once again notch double-digit victories. The Bills, on the other hand, will probably be content to avoid notching double-digit losses.

But on Sunday, it's all about which of these teams will start 1-0.

For now, let's take a closer look at the specifics of this matchup.

Where: Arrowhead Stadium

When: Sunday at 1 p.m. ET

Watch: CBS, watch live online with DirecTV's Sunday Ticket To-Go package, games on-demand with NFL.com's Game Rewind.

Listen: WGRF-FM (96.9 FM, 97 Rock), WEDG-FM (103.3 The Edge) and Sirius 91 for Buffalo, Chiefs Radio Network and Sirius 117 for Kansas City.

Betting Line: Chiefs by 5.5 

What's At Stake

In the short term, nothing. In the long term, nothing mutual.

But if I had to lean one way or the other, I'd say this game is more important for the Chiefs. They're going to be in a race to defend their division title by the end of the year, and they don't want to look back at this game as a game they should have won but didn't.

Bills' Injury Report

Linebackers Alex Carrington and Arthur Moats were unable to practice on Monday, and it was eventually revealed that Moats will be out two to three weeks with a calf injury that he suffered in the Bills' second preseason game.

As of now, there hasn't been any definitive word on Carrington's status.

Chiefs' Injury Report

It's going to be interesting to see if rookie wide receiver Jonathan Baldwin is able to go in this one. He injured his wrist in a locker room fight with running back Thomas Jones a couple weeks ago, and that knocked him out for the rest of the preseason. The Chiefs have yet to reveal anything regarding Baldwin's status for Sunday.

There has also been speculation on whether or not a rib injury would sideline starting quarterback Matt Cassel, but he told the Kansas City Star on Monday that he's going to be good to go.

Fantasy Start 'Em

Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles. I shouldn't have to tell you to start him seeing as how he's one of the top running backs in fantasy, but you should definitely have him in your lineup for this game. The Bills simply couldn't stop the run last year, and Charles is going to put them to the test right out of the gate this year.

Fantasy Sit 'Em

Bills wide receiver Steve Johnson. Yes, he had 1,000 yards receiving last season, but those yards tended to come in bunches. Johnson is inconsistent like that, and it's worth noting that he only caught five balls for 37 yards last year against the Chiefs (albeit with one touchdown). 

Fantasy Sleeper

Chiefs wide receiver Steve Breaston. If Baldwin can't give it a go, Breaston is going to have a chance to step in and catch a few extra passes. 

What They're Saying

ESPN AFC West blogger Bill Williamson wrote about how Chiefs head coach Todd Haley's decision to play his starters in the team's preseason finale backfired in a big way, as the Chiefs got more than a little dinged up against the Green Bay Packers.

You get the sense that this is a rather fitting form of punishment for Haley. He was widely criticized for not pushing his team hard enough in camp, choosing instead to let the "heavy football" work wait until the preseason. The decision clearly didn't work out the way he intended it to.

Meanwhile in Buffalo, a key player for the Bills this year is going to be Shawne Merriman, the long-lost Pro Bowl linebacker of the San Diego Chargers. For the first time in a long time, Merriman says he's healthy. He also says he can't wait to get started.

“I feel good, man,” said Merriman, per the Associated Press. “Fans and the people watching the game, they’re going to know, for one, that I’m back playing the way I need to play.”

If Merriman can stay healthy, the Bills are going to be glad they picked him up off the scrap heap.

Bills' Player to Watch

We can talk about Fitzgerald, we can talk about Merriman, but I think the player to watch on the Bills is rookie defensive tackle Marcell Dareus. The Bills took him with the No. 3 overall pick in the draft in hopes that he would shore up the middle of their defensive line, and he showed during the preseason that he is more than up to the task.

Dareus is a keeper, make no mistake about that. And against the Chiefs’ running game, the Bills are going to need him to be at his best.

Chiefs' Player to Watch

One of the reasons the Bills are going to need Dareus is because it will be his responsibility to keep Charles in check. He's one of the most dangerous running backs in the NFL, and he’s entering 2011 fresh off a season in which he burst onto the scene with 1,467 rushing yards. He also led the NFL with an average of 6.4 yards per carry.

Key Matchup

As you can probably tell, the key matchup in this one will involve how well Buffalo’s front seven will keep Sirs Charles and Jones in check. The Bills made other upgrades to their front seven besides just Dareus, but we don't really know yet how all the different pieces are going to gel.

What the Bills will have to prove is that they are capable of holding their own against the rush. This is something they could not do in 2010, as they gave up an average of nearly 170 rushing yards per game.

On the Hot Seat

Gonna go with Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick here. He had a decent season in 2010, but he's not getting much love as a long-term solution for the Bills, especially seeing as how they are probably going to be in the mix for Andrew Luck before long. If Fitzpatrick can improve on his 2010 season, though, he may be able to prove to the Bills that they can rely on him going forward. 

Prediction

I'm not so sure the Chiefs will be able to repeat as AFC West champs this year, but they should be able to take this one without much trouble.

Chiefs, 28-14.