Near-perfect Bills get incredible grade for Chiefs takedown

The Buffalo Bills had a plan on how to deal with the Kansas City Chiefs on both sides of the ball, and they executed it to perfection.

Offensively, using James Cook 27 times as he amassed 114 rushing yards, while Josh Allen picked his way through an unusually leaky Chiefs defense, as Joe Brady's team had near-perfect balance when it comes to pass and run attempts.

Then defensively, a mix of disguises, coupled with consistent pressure from the defensive line, with Joey Bosa, Gregory Rousseau, and Michael Hoecht the main disruptors, which led Patrick Mahomes to be 15 of 34 passing on the night.

And for CBS Sports' John Breech, when giving the Bills an "A" grade, he knows that Buffalo wants to change the postseason narrative.

"For the fifth straight year, the Bills beat the Chiefs in the regular season, and this time, they did it by playing nearly perfectly on both sides of the ball,” Breech wrote. “Beating the Chiefs' hasn't translated into any sort of postseason success over the past four years, but this Bills team looks determined to change that.”

More: Bills' Dawson Knox knows importance of Chiefs win

Bills now primed for AFC contention

Now, that might sound a little odd for a team that was 5-2 before beating the Chiefs, but many were skeptical of whether or not Buffalo, in its current state and the fact that Kansas City was flying offensively heading into the Week 9 game, would be able to go toe-to-toe with Andy Reid's team.

Well, they proved they can, and in truth, the Bills easily outplayed the Chiefs at Highmark Stadium. 

For you historians, this is nothing new: the Bills have won the last five regular-season games against the Chiefs, but that has never translated into playoff success against Kansas City. Will it this time?

Given that the Chiefs, as it stands right now, aren't in the playoffs with a 5-4 record, there is a chance they won't meet again in 2025, which might take one challenger out of Buffalo's path. The Baltimore Ravens are another team that might not make the postseason, and all of a sudden, the Bills' two biggest rivals might not be standing in their way.

This really might be "the" year the Bills have to get it done.

More Bills news:

• Bills' 'absolute stud' gets huge Josh Allen praise after Chiefs performance
• Bills' Josh Allen's comments on Patrick Mahomes show fear factor is still alive
• Bills dealt devastating Michael Hoecht injury update after Chiefs win
• Bills 'feeling pretty good' after Chiefs win