The biggest game of the NFL season is taking place in Orchard Park on Sunday, as the Kansas City Chiefs head up to Highmark Stadium to take on the Buffalo Bills (4:25 p.m. ET on CBS) in a battle of the top two teams in the AFC. This game is a continuation of one of the best rivalries in football, and one of the best quarterback matchups as Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen face off for the seventh time (including playoffs).
Both Kansas City (9-0) and Buffalo (8-2) are a combined 17-2 entering the game, the seventh-best combined record between to teams entering the game since the 1970 merger. Mahomes and Allen are the second quarterback pair from different divisions to meet eight times in a five-season span since 1970 (Peyton Manning and Tom Brady met eight times from 2003 to 2007).
In one of the biggest regular seaosn matchups in years, CBS Mornings and THE NFL TODAY analyst Nate Burleson provided an insight on what to expect Sunday.
*THE NFL TODAY will be live from Buffalo on Sunday. Fans can join the crew in Lot 6 at Highmark Stadium starting at Noon ET on Nov. 17.
Do the Bills lack of outside threats at wide receiver prevent them from winning a championship this year?
Burleson: "That's why they loaded up and traded for Amari Cooper. And listen, you can say that Khalil Shakir isn't your traditional top tier wide receiver, but if you look at his output by the numbers -- he's up there with the best in the game as far as dependability. I think it's like a 90% catch rate with his QB, so he's working the interior of the field. And that moves the chains juts like the big shots down the field do.
"With Keon Coleman being banged up, that's tough. I'd love to see him play in this one. At the same time, you got guys like Dalton Kincaid, who can also move the chains. I do feel like they have stocked up and they are better at this position than they have been in quite some time. It's different when you have a Stefon Diggs, a true No. 1 who is a dominant force all on his own -- then have a group of guys that can all do the same thing collectively. I do feel like they have that as long as the guys are healthy."
Do you think that's forced Josh Allen -- I don't want to say forced -- but Allen is a better quarterback when he's spreading the ball around more than trying to force-feed Stefon Diggs?
Burleson: "I just think you have to adjust as a quarterback when you have a group of guys, and now they added Amari Cooper, they have a wide range of the older veteran and the young rookie. You're trying to keep everybody happy and on top of that you can really work inside out when you have a guy like Khalil Shakir and you have tight ends and running backs that can catch out of the backfield.
"It allow you to go though your progressions. I do think he's doing a great job of spreading the ball around, making sure everybody is happy, and then at the same time taking care of (the football). Josh Allen is so damn talented and when he's on the money and taking care of the rock, he's so hard to beat."
Too many people have been criticizing the Chiefs for their 9-0 start. 9-0 is 9-0. Do you personally think they can sustain this level of play all year?
Burleson: "Why not? Can't argue with wins. It's a bottom line business, wins and losses. And they're winning. I was told as a rookie, you never apologize for a victory, so it doesn't matter how you get it. I do believe that they're getting the rhythm at the right time. In the beginning of the season, damn near everybody was in a magazine, shooting a commercial, in a movie, filming a game show -- and that's not a knock on them. I'd be doing the same thing. Shoot, I was doing it and I didn't make a playoffs a couple of years.
"But imagine winning a Super Bowl and all of a sudden the world opens up to you. It's hard to go into the seaosn with the same type of consistency. When you're successful at the top like the Chiefs are and you don't have that old school, traditional training camp, and you're not playing a lot in the preseason -- you're gonna start slow.
"Now they're figuring it out, Now they're moving like they're used to. Travis Kelce is getting back to the dominant ways. I feel like that's scary for the rest of the league. While the rest of the league is trying to sustain success, these guys are now catching a rhythm, and they're undefeated."
Is this Andy Reid's best coaching job?
Burleson: "I believe Andy Reid can win coach of the year every season. Everyone is gunning to knock off the kings on the throne. Age is coaching against age. How do you coach your guy different as he gets older? The quarterbacks, linemen, tight ends, and defensive players. Then you add in this young group of hungry superstars that add an element to this offense. For them to be undefeated at this point, a lot of credit goes to Andy."
Chiefs-Bills the best rivalry in football?
Burleson: "I don't know, man. I love it. Don't get me wrong. It's the best one to watch because we've seen the Bills have success in the regular season and we know what happens in the postseason. Patrick Mahomes, when he's the zone, can throw for 50 touchdowns and be our MVP. When Josh Allen is in his bag, I don't think anyone has the skill set he has -- big, fast, strong, crazy arm.
"As a fan, this is a pretty cool one to watch. I still like the Vikings and the Packers. I still like Pittsburgh against damn near everybody, especially in the AFC North. I like this one, but there are some pretty cool rivalries out there."
